


I'll kick your ass for one corn chip

by PurpleStarsss



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Banter, Blue is a damsel in distress, Bonding, Character Development, Enemies to Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Frenemies, Gen, Guilt, Humor, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29024847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleStarsss/pseuds/PurpleStarsss
Summary: "What if Red actually went to Vio instead of Blue" I joked."What if Shadow was the one that found Blue instead." I tried to continue the joke.That Joke I Made With Friends Turned Into A Fic And I Have No Idea How To Deal With That. So anyway have fun with witty frenemies Blue and Shadow who either will become good friends or just weird enemies who vibe together.
Relationships: Blue Link & Green Link & Red Link & Vio Link, Blue Link & Shadow Link
Comments: 48
Kudos: 51





	1. "Apparently the 'I owe you my life since you saved me' line was just a myth" - Shadow Link, probably

**Author's Note:**

> I Apologize In Advance and My tagging skills ain't doing this fic justice ngl

"Rude."

That was the first thing he said to him.

Rude.

He  _ just _ returned from a horrible rejection and was still thrown into another 'task' and had to deal with a forgotten hero stuck under layers upon layers of ice.

He didn't even  _ know _ how that happened.

...

Okay, he  _ definitely  _ knew.

After returning from that embarrassing ordeal with that purple hero that he knew he almost convinced to accept his offer. He knew it. He was so  _ close _ . He was  _ sure _ of it.

That is until that blasted ball of light magic and that crying hero clad in red showing up to his aid as if it was some cartoon show and they needed some Bullshit -with a capital B- reason called "friendship" to help- What? Wrong Franchise? Oops.

But, He did get his revenge this time and blasted that fairy, yet her spite persisted and the trio vanished.

_ Boy, was he upset _ .

Upset and embarrassed. He did pace in his room, frustration seething from him as wisps of magic formed with each step and followed him. He stomped to the mirror, magic seething around him as he spoke up. Asking for it to show him his enemies.

And then he found them.

Green was slacking, getting pulled around, unable to say no to any quest the Gerudo gave him. It made him snort, that their leader is so easy to get caught up with things. Attempts were made to leave and get back on track, now he's completely lost and Shadow figured he will die in that desert.

_ Good riddance _ .

Red and Vio were together, huddled over a pillow as they observed the weakened fairy. He could see them try to give her bits of sugar and water, trying to give her anything that could help her. Her light started flickering and Shadow could see their concern skyrocket and he prayed to Demise that she would perish as well. The image became disoriented once more, like a ripple as it settled and revealed the final hero that gave him the worst headache by simply existing.

Then he saw the frozen hero.

Now  _ that _ made him cackle.

Seeing the outspoken hero be silenced was  _ incredible _ to him. Shadow didn't know if he felt amused or pity.

That is until a spark of mischief lit up in those crimson eyes of his.

The urge to rub it in. That to remind him that he froze. That he lost. It was  _ tempting _ . He  _ needed _ to rub it in.

Even though days passed, it still annoyed him.

Blue's words. 

What he said the first time they  _ officially _ met annoyed him until now, the way he dismissed and didn't acknowledge his superiority aggravated the shadow. He  _ knew _ he was better and it made his blood boil when that hero denied it. 

Frustration built in his chest, in his heart. Frustration and the urge to prove him wrong continued to grow and grow and the salt and spite that flew in his veins was the final push he needed to announce to his minions he needed to leave.

With the aid of magic, he found him with ease. With the aid of his dragon, the hero was freed from his icy prison. That didn't stop him from collapsing onto the snowy ground and lying there completely still.

Shadow assumed he was too late and that made him giddy, maybe then he can make fun of his ghost and taunt his dead body, yet the shivering and shaky breathing only brought back his pity.

How long was he frozen? He didn't know. More than a few days? Probably. More than at least five hours, that's for sure. Normal hylians would be dead by now, yet again Link never was a normal hylian.

And for a brief moment, the hero slowly looked up from the cold ground. Pushing himself up, with struggling shaking arms. 

For a brief moment crimson eyes locked with azure and Shadow, for the first time, could see the flame of determination diminish, replaced by disbelief, fear, and desperation before they shut once more and the hero fell at his foot.

It wasn't fun.  _ That _ wasn't fun. He was hoping he would stay awake, at least long enough to let him monologue and taunt him. He tried kicking him awake, throwing a comment, a taunt, but the hero wouldn't budge. His face buried in the snow and all he could hear were shallow breaths. Even when he pushed him, rolled him over onto his back, the hero wouldn't speak to him at all. Only signs of discomfort and shuddering and trying to subconsciously push himself away, to curl up. It was  _ pitiful _ .

With a frustrated groan, he picked him up and went on his merry way. He did notice the hero was still shivering and shaking, another thing that fueled his ego and reminded him that he was much,  _ much _ , better.

So much power in such a fragile creature. 

Shadow hoped he would get to monologue as soon as they came back. Yet even in the warm environment, the hero wouldn't wake up. He did question it and yelled "Are you listening?!" from the other side of the cell and slipped through to poke his forehead multiple times.

He saw irritation, the hero's eyebrows furrowing and pushing himself away and into the corner he was left in, and hope filled him. Giddy hopes that the hero will finally wake up and he can finally anger him.

But he didn't, instead, he sneezed and shivered and tried to turn his face away from him, curling up then staying still but shuddering every few moments. He didn't like that.

Shadow let out a noise of disgust, gagging at the fact the other sneezed and wiped his hand with a shudder.

A hinox informed him, these creatures weren't immune to many many diseases, and Shadow ordered them to get someone knowledgeable to deal with this. They would have questioned why not end him already, but they knew better than to disobey the prince.

So much fragility in a supposed to be strong creature.

* * *

Frostbite. 

All the symptoms he had pointed towards frostbite and while they're in an incredibly warm area, they  _ still _ needed better treatment for the hero's recovery. 

So he ordered them to go and get  _ something _ that was known to make them better and left it at that while he picked the hero up once more and moved him to an actual room.

'Just for a bit.' he would whisper to himself, 'Just for that one dramatic speech. Just anger him. Provoke him. Then use him to do his bidding. It would be  _ so _ worth it.'

It was petty to keep him alive just to get him to work for him, to anger and taunt him, to dangle the fact he was weaker in front of him. But Shadow  _ is _ petty and he will enjoy it.

A wizzrobe came by with a bottle of potion and informed him that this is what they found in one of the traveling merchants' bags.

That and lots,  _ lots, _ of food.

Shadow didn't care over that. Instead, he just grabbed the potion and helped the hero sit up and try to wake him up to drink it.

_ That _ was incredibly awkward for him. It was weird hearing the usually loud offensive hero so quiet, it was weird to see the so-called independent hero leaning and whining even if he wasn't fully awake.

Yes, he will definitely keep this in mind and use it against him.

At  _ least _ the potion seemed to work, he  _ never _ really understood how those things worked but hey! The hero was no longer whining as much and his shivering was mostly gone now!

Surely he will wake up soon enough..

* * *

He did  _ not _ wake up. At least not  _ fully _ . Shadow did question if this was worth all the trouble but his petty self _needed_ to have the last comment. To use the "You owe me" blackmail on him and dangle the fact he needed his help in front of his eyes. What better blackmail to use against this prideful hero than something that will severely hurt his ego?

The thought gave him joy but it won't come true. Not yet at least, since the hero won't wake up.

Even after giving him the potion, he still stayed curled up on the bed and refused to move. They did put him back in his cell though, he did  _ not _ want a hero roaming around freely. He has a  _ reputation  _ to keep. If he left him to wander and do whatever, what will that say about him?

Although, even though the hero _did_ get slightly better, he was  _ still _ sick.

A fever.

The hero had a fever. At least that's what he was told.

That certainly won't do.

He needed him to be his utmost best so that he could crush him and show him that even at his one hundred percent he still isn't strong enough.

He didn't bother with him too much, no longer poking and trying to annoy him into consciousness. Turned out it's not fun to provoke a half-alive corpse. That didn't put his urges to destruction at ease though, so he left.

Flew among the night skies, it's only the second or third night and the hero didn't wake up at all. Boring. It was boring to watch him.

So he went and attempted to do what he knew best. Invading another village, destroying it, setting it on fire. 

Keyword: Attempted.

For the first house he passed by on this chilly night, the window open with its curtains moving ever so subtly. He could hear them, the people, talk, and he saw them take care of one of their own. He heard them comfort and promise things one couldn't guarantee. You can't promise someone perfect health, it didn't work that way.

Fragile.

Yet here he was, pausing and listening and looking.

Shadow completely forgot his main goal, it quickly being replaced by the weird see-through jars, potions he assumed, and one bowl of steamy drink? Food? He didn't care.

But he did get it.. Er.. stole it would be a better word.

He  _ stole _ it. He'll come back to destroy them later, he needed to get that hero to awaken somehow. To be aware and awake, where's the fun with insulting someone who can barely focus on one word and slurred out words that made zero sense?

He wanted him to wake up and he  _ will _ force him to if he must.

He did show up, teleported back into the middle of the room with a bowl and one corked bottle filled with weird red liquid, ready to yell out "He's back" just to give the other a worse migraine and mess with him while helping him. No, the annoying little shitness was not a distraction from the helping. He really did want to annoy him.  Although that wasn't what woke the other up apparently.

No.. 

Because the moment he arrived, the hero let out a shriek, and Shadow felt offended that he only woke up when he was gone.

"Rude."  Shadow repeated as he rubbed his wrist, he did catch the bottle of red liquid. The soup on the other hand… yeah, it was completely gone.  Spread across the room with shattered pieces of the bowl. He glared at the hero, who glared back almost challenging him.

Amusing, he could see the exhaustion on his face with how heavy his breathing was. It was almost like he was forcing himself to be awake. He still struggled, even now that he was bound with chains of magic. Not like he wanted to use them but the fact the other really tried to throw hands while still unable to keep his own balance just showed he was just going to hurt himself. He didn't want that to happen. To have him get hurt this quick? Wasting all his efforts and energy?

"I swear if you don't let this shit let me go, I'll—" Blue hissed through each breath he struggled to take in. He didn't know if the struggle was coming from his illness or how the ropes -or were they chains- continued to wrap around his weakened body. 

They were barely transparent, black as the night sky with some subtle white outline as it continued to tighten until his wrists were bound behind.

"I don't know if you noticed, but you are in  _ no _ position to be making orders." Shadow huffed as he patted his tunic down, the first thing that occurred the moment he got back was to be attacked and the hero ignoring his attempts to tell him to calm down.

The soup was what caused him to snap, he went through  _ all _ this effort only for it to be thrown aside? How _ungrateful_. It is definitely a trend between them, they were all ungrateful little shits.

"Yeah well— I managed to land a hit on you, so?!" He argued, still struggling through the ropes as they became still and secure and  _ real _ . No weird glowing outline, nothing, as if he was tied by normal-looking ropes that happened to be pitch black in color.

"And I landed a  _ dozen _ on you." Shadow rolled his eyes, his comment led to an eruption of wrath from the hero, who continued to struggle and try to push himself off the floor.

"Oh, quit your hissing!" 

"Yeah well fuck you!"

They stopped for a moment, Shadow raised an eyebrow, bored yet intrigued, at the hero that sat on his knees, anger clear in these exhausted eyes. It was odd.

He saw him glaring back despite the obvious exhaustion as if he was willing to put up a fight they both knew he couldn't win.

A half-smile on his face and he crouched down so that they could look eye to eye. His smile widened, baring his teeth as he watched the other  _ almost _ back up while still glaring.

" _ Friendly _ ." He said, sarcastic, as Blue gritted his teeth. "I don't think  _ you _ have any right to talk to me this way." 

Blue let out a scoff, rolling his eyes. "Why the hell not? Last I checked—" 

Shadow blinked. He could see the other's face scrunched in pain and almost hunch over as he unevenly breathed. 

His eyes squeezed shut and the shadow didn't know if it was pity he felt towards him, it was an unfamiliar feeling and overall confusing. He  _ knew _ they were fragile, he saw how fragile they were! Yet, why was he surprised?

"—We were enemies!" Blue finally forced out through gritted teeth, as if it pained him to talk. He didn't look at him, still closed eyes, face still twisted in pain.

Pity. He felt pity towards him. He knew the other didn't deserve mercy. He knew that. Yet here he was sighing and sitting down, crisscrossed, in front of the hero. His hand was closed, forming a fist, as it rested against his cheek as he watched the hero struggle with boredom. 

Was it pride or was it discomfort that made the hero struggle and continue to argue instead of giving up, he guessed it was both.

"And yet  _ I _ saved  _ your _ life." Shadow reminded with a sigh, his hand waving in dismissal. Though despite the calm neutrality on his face, the pure delight in him ignited. It was finally time to use his speech and how the hero will follow his lead. Blue cringed and shook his head, a small pout on his face and his eyes squinted, it almost made him snort as he wondered how in the world he would stop what's coming.

_Almost_. 

If it weren't for the fact the other had to open his mouth.

"And?" 

Shadow blinked, boredom turned to surprise over the other's reaction. He expected him to get embarrassed or give up or just hurl insults. He was supposed to get embarrassed and He would then use it against him and it would be their- what the hell? That was what was supposed to happen.. yet here he was treating it as if it was nothing.

"What do you mean 'And?'?!" His eyes widened, disbelieving that the other was  _ that _ dismissive. "I saved  _ you _ ! Me!" Shadow repeated. 

"I! Saved! You! Do you not understand?"

"Oh I get that, but  _ and? _ So?" Blue frowned and his eyes narrowed. "Doesn't change a thing. Doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass."

"I.."

Oh this had to be a joke. It had to be. How can the other be so dismissive? This isn't what he learned from stories and rumors, usually it went that when you save someone, they owe you. He owed him. Why is he treating it like it isn't important to acknowledge?

"You can't be  _ serious _ right now." Shadow continued with shock, raising an eyebrow. The way the other scowled bewildered him.

"One hundred per—" 

He was cut off by coughing, that in itself made Shadow scoot six feet back and scowl. He sighed as Blue continued to heave and leaned against the wall. Pushing himself back so the wall could support his back, it was incredibly difficult to move around since he knew he wouldn't be able to use his hands to help himself.

"So let me get this.." Shadow started, continuing when he saw the other made no attempt to argue. 

"You were frozen and then me, your _mortal_ _enemy_ , saved you from it." He stated, ignoring the quiet almost inaudible noises of pain from the other. Shadow scoffed and gestured to him. "And now you're literally in a tough spot _again_." 

Blue was almost grateful for being sick, then the other wouldn't notice how embarrassing this was to him. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to be both flushed red from being sick and from being put in this embarrassment of a situation. Up until now, he refused to acknowledge it. Refused to accept that, a  _ shadow _ saved  _ him. _ That he needed help from his enemy.

"And you have the  _ audacity _ to not only dismiss that but also threaten to fight me?" Shadow asked and Blue gave him a tired yet smug smile, a toothy crooked smile.

"Yeah sounds about right."

"You're unbelievably dumb." Shadow quickly pointed out and Blue's smile fell.

"No, you're unbelievably dumb!" He hissed and pushed himself up, using the wall as more than support with how his body shook and screamed at him to sit down. To rest. A taxing battle of logic and pride occupied his mind. Shadow could see him barely able to stand as he yelled things more out of stubborn pride than reason, it made him smile smugly and stare with half-lidded eyes that were filled with amusement.

"Let me go and I'll give you a fair fight you won't even stand a chance I'll- ACK." 

He doubled over, feeling the ropes tighten once more and the outline of white was back. His eyes shot wide open as he slid back onto the floor, taking a deep breath as the ropes loosened a little and the magic diminished.

"You done?"

"Fuck off!"

Shadow squinted his eyes. Clearly, the guy took most of Link's unbelievable stubbornness. As much as it was entertaining to him to see his enemy struggle, he was getting bored quick. He just wanted to get to his monologue yet the other keeps trying to pick a fight. Can't it wait until he gave his speech?

"Ugh.. Isn't the deal is I save you and you now owe me?" Shadow asked, he really thought it was the trend in this world. That you owe people things, that you're in debt to them.

"Maybe if you stopped to think  _ why _ I almost died maybe then your dumbass would realize that deal is bullshit!" Blue screeched and it would have been such a good line if he didn't sniff right after it while glaring at him.

Shadow wanted to laugh, if it was from confusion or from amusement is up to interpretation at this point. 

Blue didn't catch the hint though, he still continued his rambling. "Monsters, that demon, whatever thing you serve wanted me dead for a reason, asshole!" He continued.

"Now I'm  _ basically _ your problem."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at that claim, tilting his head slightly as he judged him. Judged how he winced when the ropes tightened once more then loosened right after. 

"Hm.."

He noticed the other glare at him, still stubborn, still so  _ so _ stubborn. Although he saw it once more. The same gaze he had moments before he stumbled onto the snow at his feet. Hesitation? Fear? Something he tried to hide with a prideful front.

"You want us to fight?"

He saw the other nod, still stubborn yet was shrunk down into a quiet shaking mess that clings onto the ropes of pride.

He tilted his head then snorted. "Pff,  _ yeah _ right. How can you fight when you're not even able to stand?"

The other didn't answer him, instead, he glared. A weak one. Shadow could tell the other was moments away from passing out, that's when he held up to him. He pulled out the bottle, dangling it in front of the hero before uncorking it.

He saw the hero pale a little, he did laugh at that. His reaction made the other even more wary. 

"Oh, don't worry." He grinned and that served nothing, Blue could feel his anxiety twist in the pit of his stomach. "Potion, I think."

"I'm pretty sure it's a healing potion. I  _ think _ ." Shadow continued, purposefully acting suspicious, and placed the bottle right on the floor before standing up.

"Bark no bite." He said with an innocent whistle, and Blue would have argued and yelled if it weren't for the fact he was staring down at the bottle.

"I'll just leave you be for now, no point in trying. Oh and I suggest you don't try to escape." Shadow continued as he walked out of the cell, stopping briefly to look back at him through the bars. "Unless you want to be captured or worse, eaten by Nebby." 

"Who the hell is nebby." 

His ears perked up at that question, a bright almost innocent smile on his face yet mischief in his eyes.

"My darling dragon."

Blue opened his mouth then closed it and cringed at the name. "Nebby though..?"

"Nebula, though I assume you wouldn't know much about space." Shadow shrugged, he took offense to that.

"I know  _ plenty _ ." He argued.

"Really?"

"Mhm!"

"Give me one fact." He paused for a moment then he added a rule, "other than Nebula being in space.  _ Then _ we'll see." 

"Space has stars and we use them to navigate, oh and I  _ think _ it keeps expanding so we might never find the corners of it."

"... Huh…" 

Shadow paused and stared at him with surprise. Blue almost smirked at that, almost smirked at the idea he won this argument.

But the shadow's amused grin didn't bode well for him.

"Didn't know you're a nerd."

"Wh—" Blue's pride tumbled down, he wasn't a nerd. That was  _ Vio' _ s expertise and to be similar to  _ him _ , to  _ that self-absorbed 'nerd' _ ..

"I'm not! I just happen to know stuff!" He instantly denied and Shadow's grin widened at such a reaction.

" _ Nerd _ ."

"Vio is the nerd."

"You're just jealous he's a  _ better _ nerd than you." Shadow said with a singing voice, teasing, provoking.

"I'm  _ not _ jealous." Blue quickly retorted, denying it instantly as if it was his natural instinct to oppose him. Shadow didn't do much other than stare with an eyebrow quirking upwards.

"I'm serious!" He continued, disliking the fact the other continued to judge him in silence.

"Sure.." Shadow shrugged and stretched his arms up, letting out a long sigh. "Anyway, you know you just take the energy out of a guy."

He knew it was unwise to leave him unattended, although with how the other was sick, the monsters surrounding and roaming in this tower of flames, and the long tiring walk to get to the closest village? He will find him before he manages to set foot out of this tower.

"So, I'm gonna go. Don't try to escape I know you're already planning to and I'll  _ gladly _ take your burnt corpse to your idiotic heroes." Shadow grinned as he floated away, Blue cringed at that.

His ears perked up, the other's cackle grew distant until he couldn't hear it. A few more quiet moments and his right ear twitched slightly and Blue let out a sigh, muttering stupid, as he scooted away from the broken pieces of a discarded pot.

"You okay..?" He whispered, softly, hesitantly, and a small flicker burst into life. A quiet giggle with a hum as the fairy flew over his head then rested on his nose, her light causing him to shut his eyes.

"Goddesses, I did not want him to catch you." He said with a toothy grin and the little fairy let out a squeak and nodded.

"So are you up to helping a fellow hero?" Blue asked, opening his eyes when he felt the subtle weight was lifted. Looking down as the little fairy tugged to the ropes then floated around him before flying up and shrugging while frowning.

"No knot? Nothing?"

She shook her head. Blue gritted his teeth as he tried to struggle through it.

"It's dark magic.. can you use your magic? Please?" He asked once more and the fairy smiled softly, almost bittersweetly at the state of their hero. She nodded and floated down, spitting into her hands and rubbing them before trying to tug the ropes and burn them away.

She continued to burn them, dark magic slithering away from her light, yet the little burns she created made the ropes loosen then move and start to wrap around him with much more force. She looked up in fear, seeing the hero's face twist in pain as she frowned and flew up.

"It's okay, it's okay. Try again." Blue whispered with a tired smile, an obvious attempt to distract her from the pain he was going through as he adjusted to the ropes.

She frowned and let out a sigh, looking down at her hands then flew over his head.

"Wait, wait! Where are you going?" Blue panicked, the thought of being left alone without  _ someone _ he could rely on pushed him back into the desperate anxiety that swirled inside him. Then light blinded him.

Blue blinked a few times and the first thing he noticed is he could inhale through his nose, the next thing he noticed is the sick feeling that stirred and left him weak was nonexistent, the third he noticed was the migraine he had was long gone.

He frowned as he looked up and saw a flicker of light that faded into nothing. "I never understood fairies, honestly.. and I'm talking to myself okay." He sighed and slumped.

And for the first time, Blue missed being around the teammates he continued to fight with.

The mere thought of being stuck, of being  _ captured _ , angered him. The thought of needing  _ someone _ to help  _ him _ fueled his anger. He did not need saving, not from them and clearly not from his own enemy. 

He glared at the bottle then up at the bars of his cell.

There is no  _ way _ he's staying.

* * *

"I.. can not believe you tried  _ anyway. _ "

Shadow stared up at the dangling hero that continued to shriek and hurl insults to the hinox that held him up, trying to kick him before looking down at the shadow with a murderous gaze. 

"While tied up too!" He did not try to hide his amusement, a snort escaped him as he instructed the hinox to hold the hero up right then set him down.

"Shut up!" Blue hissed as he continued to struggle while the shadow waved to his giant minion to set the hero down.

He was amused that the other was a little better though, maybe the potion helped.

"It's not  _ my _ fault these things aren't normal!" Blue yelled then shot the hinox a death glare, baring his teeth as he heaved. 

Shadow didn't know what caused such a reaction, it was probably because he happened to walk by and heard a scream and followed by finding the hero held upside down by the leg. It made him cackle in amusement though, maybe that's why Blue was furious over it.

"Maybe you should have taken the time to figure them out before rushing!" Shadow shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Where were you going  _ anyway _ ?"

"I dunno! I was trying to figure it out obviously!" 

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He snickered and Blue scoffed.

"Do I  _ look _ like a mirror?" He grumbled and they both stayed quiet and Shadow couldn't help but grin when the other quickly yet quietly added. "Don't answer that."

"Smart comeback." Shadow said with sarcasm and Blue let out a groan, sarcastically agreeing with him.

"Thanks."

"I hope this was a lesson to you to  _ not _ try to escape again." Shadow sighed as he guided the hero back to his cell. Definitely holding back his own amused snickers when he heard the other mutter insults upon insults, colorful strings of unique yet insulting descriptions directed at his situation. He was definitely stealing some of these.

He did notice the other wasn't as sick and the empty bottle made him grin, almost proud of himself for a reason he did not know of. 

He didn't connect the dots over why the cell smelled like soup and medicine though.

* * *

"Bitch, what the fuck." 

Shadow did not want to wake up in the middle of the afternoon by his dragon roaring followed by an inhumanely loud shriek.

He did not want to show up and find Blue shrieking as a dragon towered over him.

...

Okay, maybe he kind of did.

But he still didn't want to be  _ rudely _ woken up to that.

"Why did you  _ try _ again." Shadow rubbed his eyes and groaned, walking over with a raised eyebrow then patting the dragon's head as he glanced towards the still shaken hero who blinked then snapped back into reality.

"I wasn't  _ trying _ to 'escape'!" 

Here they go again.

"You're horrible at lying." Shadow pointed out and Blue argued. He noticed that this will probably be a common theme between them, a witty banter mostly with him calling the other out while the other too arrogant to acknowledge it.

"I'm  _ not. _ "

Shadow continued to stare down at him then glanced to Nebula, who had her gaze fixed on the hero. Blue paled when he saw some dark purple-blueish smoke from her mouth and looked away while scoffing but admitting it, this time he was truthful.

"Ugh… fine. I wanted to find.. something."

"Was it your sword."

He reverted back to lying.

" _ No _ ."

"Liar."

He hates how he can't lie. He needs to figure out how to be better at it.

"Okay fine yes but.. uh.. yeah just the sword."

"You're lying, again."

"Shut  _ up _ ."

He  _ really _ needs to figure out how to lie better.

* * *

"This is the  _ fifth _ time."

Exhaustion was clear in his tone as he looked at the hero, watching him sit up with struggle as he shot him a glare, mostly for using magic to trip him. He glared up at the floating shadow then started to  ~~ complain ~~ explain his reasons.

"I got so close to getting my sword back! You think I'm not trying again?"

This time it wasn't even close to where the sword was held, that being the fact Shadow moved it somewhere else, somewhere.. more complicated.

Blue wished his arms were free. That was one of the main reasons he wanted to find his sword back. His wrists were aching, burning. His arms felt sore with how they're tied behind his back, if he stayed like this any longer he will  _ shriek _ and whine over it.

He did  _ not _ want to whine over it. Too arrogant to admit it. He did not want to and will not admit it.

He couldn't stand being in that cell, to be tied and away from the only thing that could protect him from dark magic. His hammer was in his hat, but he couldn't even  _ use _ it. Not like he could, his hat was back in that cell in one of the pots. He really… really wanted to break the pots..

Though, even if he could get the hammer, he still wouldn't be able to use it. It wouldn't help and he won't lose his backup weapon because of carelessness and desperation. It's his only remaining weapon.

Still, Blue couldn't stand being in that cell, it was uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing. It was driving him up to the walls at the thought of letting his guard down. The idea of being attacked while asleep would make him jolt awake and keep him up no matter how exhausted he felt. He did pass out few times but he quickly woke up out of the same fear. If someone told him he's been out for a while so that fear is useless he would get a heart attack and deny that ever happened.

"No, I expected you to. You're pretty easy to figure out." Shadow hummed as he looked down at him. Blue didn't really focus on him, it was what was behind him that caught his eye.

Sunrise, he could see the sun on the horizon, just barely. Light comforted him, he liked it, loved it. Its warmth. He liked that type of warmth, the sun's. He adored basking under it and the odd sense of comfort it provided to him.

He didn't like the cell's warmth, he didn't like this mountain's warmth. It felt weird. Felt warm to the skin yet cold to the soul. It filled him with nothing but unease and dread. He hated the cold. Despised it.

Blue finally focused and realized the shadow was talking to him, his ears perked up in attentiveness and focused back on him. Though this time he didn't see disappointment and that was a huge tell that it isn't gonna end well with him.

"I  _ said _ .. it  _ seems _ to me, you're getting more and more sloppy. You even proved it just now, hero!" Shadow pointed it out, using his title with a teasing tone, and Blue grimaced. His reaction was enough to tell him that he was right.

"I'm  _ not _ ."

"You  _ totally _ are." He argued, grinning. "Aw, is the hero exhausted?" Shadow hummed, teased, as he poked the other's cheek while the other moved away from the touch.

"What do you know? You're just a dumb useless shadow!" Blue hissed out then instantly regretted it, feeling the ropes move instantly and wrap around him with less mercy than the previous times.

"You forget these are made of magic?" Shadow raised an eyebrow, deadpanned, Blue could sense the other was irritated. "And here I was  _ trying _ to be a good host."

"Fuck off!" 

Shadow let out a sigh as he sat down on the balcony, raising an eyebrow at the hero. "Dear Demise, your stubbornness is annoying."

"I hope you know if it weren't for these I would have totally flipped you off." Blue hissed as he pushed himself off the floor.

"Oh, I'm so  _ scared _ ." He watched the hero push himself off the floor and watched him back up away from the balcony. He almost wondered if the hero only knew how to glare and insult because it seems to him that's the only thing he is capable of.

He watched the other attempt to turn his back to him, to leave, and Shadow pushed himself off the railing and followed him. One step backward from him was quickly followed by a step forward from the other.

"You're insufferable." Blue narrowed his eyes, tone filled with disgust.

"Do you even know what that means?"

"I'll kill you."

"Oh entertain me, how?"

"Do I look stupid?" Blue hissed as he took another step back and to the side. "I'm not gonna tell you how, that's dumb as fuck."

"Ah." Shadow clicked his tongue, "You don't know how."

"Yes I do."

"Nah."

"Oh for the love of—" Blue gritted his teeth, "You're just a shadow, how hard can it be? Just burn you away and—"

He wanted to continue. He really did. He could hear Vio letting out a frustrated sigh and Green groaning in disappointment in the back of his mind and he  _ hated _ it. He didn't want or need to think of them. Just because they wouldn't approve does not mean he had to  _ listen _ to them.

He couldn't afford to anyway, not when there's a sharp metallic edge pressing against his throat. His eyes widened at the object, noticing the sword is still materializing, still forming. It looked like fog, an illusion, yet the cold surface pressed against his skin told him otherwise. He doesn't like the cold at  _ all _ .

He wanted to move away, the wall and shadow made it difficult. Sandwiched between the cold still-forming sword and the incredibly warm wall and he could see a glint of mischief in the other's half lidded eyes.

"You should really watch it, I could end you right here right now." Shadow teased, taunted. Giddy at the thought of striking fear in him, his glee getting fueled as he noticed the other try to shift away from the weapon. Then it turned to confusion as the hero stayed still and scowled. Then it turned to surprise when he saw the other almost challenge him and try to call his bluff. 

"Do it then."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, watching the hero stay still then move slightly forward and it bewildered him. Not the hero's actions but _his_ _own_ , a subtle brief change. He moved the sword away,  _ slightly _ . He doesn't hesitate. It wasn't that. 

He wanted to mess with him even more, ending him this soon was a  _ waste _ of potential and entertainment.

"Well I  _ would _ but.. that would be a waste." 

The sword vanished as quick as it appeared, causing a mix of opposing emotions to bubble and stir in the hero. Relief yet uncertainty, calm yet anxious. Curious over what the other was implying yet the wish to stay oblivious, ignorant, made itself clear in his mind.

"Great blackmail material, afterall." Shadow grinned and Blue blinked twice and raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah dense hero." He snapped his fingers and they were back in that cell, definitely doing it on purpose to watch the other struggle to gain his balance, fall down, and shoot him a death glare. "I'm pretty sure  _ they _ will try to help you the moment they find out you're here. More detours and wasting more time trying to help you."

He hit a nerve. He knew he did. He could see anger flare up, a different kind of anger than before. Oddly enough, it was familiar. A familiar type of anger that he could  _ almost _ name.

"I do  _ not _ need their help, dumbass. I can do just fine on my own!"

Blue knew that. It was  _ Red _ that got stuck last time, it was  _ Green _ that hesitated and  _ he  _ protected  _ him _ from those enemies they thought were their brothers in arms.

He did  _ not _ need them.  _ They  _ needed _him_. He was the strong one, he was the hero, he was the one that they could rely on. Not the other way around.  They're all strong individuals, they all had great potential and skill. He will admit that to himself,  _ only _ himself, but it did not mean  _ he _ needed  _ their _ help. He could be just fine on his own.

Shadow could see the other had an internal turmoil, the expressions on his face were a dead giveaway as they continued to twist and change, showing him exactly what the other was feeling.

His denial entertained him. His ego amused and annoyed him simultaneously. 

"Do I need to remind you where that led you."

That was all he said.

That one question-like statement before he left the other in a downward spiral of questioning doubts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl this is also an exercise for me to actually write bad people being bad and having them slowly change cause I do be struggling with a LOT of things that show up in this fic. So I'm using this joke as a learning experience for myself lol /hj


	2. If there's one thing that can unite people, it's food.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I honestly have no idea all I know is it got Food and the hinox apparently are neat to write about. SO Blue and Shadow bond for a little bit, more little shit gremlin moments and assholes.

It probably been a week. At least. That or it has been a day but he was too impatient... Yeah at LEAST two days.. Maybe. Eh who keeps track of the passage of time anyway?

He couldn't tell. His sleep was a mess and even the ropes were a little loose now. He _thinks_. They're magic, of course, they will grow weaker every now and then- He thinks. Everything was confusing to him and all he cared about is for an escape plan. Honestly, he was just glad there were moments where he would have some freedom to move his arms but that didn't last long. Few hours of freedom weren't enough. They still burn and the brief tugging made him wince.

The worst part for him was either the fact he didn't get a chance to shower, he felt so  _ so _ dirty that it made him gag and feel disgusted with the fact he couldn't even change into something new. Not like he even  _ had _ clothes to change into in the first place. 

Note to self: Get More Clothes.

The other worst part is the food he refused to put into his mouth until he was extremely desperate. He knows if he ate in front of the other, he will have that knowing grin and it irritated him while he poked his food. So he avoided it as much as he could and when he did, he would be poking it before glancing up to see an attentive nemesis that made it all the more awkward for him.

That and it is one of the few times he could actually get out of the ropes to move and he  _ will _ take advantage of that and stall as much as he could.

Even though it gave him moments of blissful freedom, it was still called "worst" for a reason.

It was the fact that the food was absolutely horrible as if they didn't know how to cook. He  _ assumed _ it was because he was their enemy, but when he found out it was  _ the _ main dish and that it was incredibly popular among them, he felt confusion over why they would give him that 'luxury' of getting to taste it and he felt skeptical because it certainly isn't a dish he is used to and wondered if they're lying to him and that it was poison.

They weren't. Shadow proved him wrong by grabbing a piece and throwing it into the air before catching  _ and _ chewing it.  It hurt his teeth, because he couldn't even bite it. The dish was rockhard to him, he was sure it was going to break his teeth.

Technically.

He was on the right track, the food was made out of rocks and wood. It really was  _ rock-hard food _ . 

_ Literally! _

Apparently, Shadow preferred the Amber one over the Topaz version of the dish and rambled about the differences before getting offended when Blue said "They both taste like shit." and settled to prove him wrong.

And by proving him wrong, they made a bet over the food. Blue claimed they wouldn't ever create  _ actual _ good fucking food. Shadow said he will prove him wrong.

Which is why he was here. In the dining room and for the first time since his last meal he was free of his ropes and he winced as he tried to move his arms. Poking the red lines it marked on his skin before tugging his sleeves over it.

He was about to insult him. Opening his mouth to argue before a hinox walked in with the confidence of a king. That..  That bewildered him.

His eyes bounced from the huge monster that carried a teeny tiny small tray, compared to the creature's hand, to Shadow, who seemed to not give a damn over the hinox's behavior as he watched the creature set the tray down in front of them. Revealing the food to him.

And it exhausted him.

Disappointed eyes as he looked up to see Shadow grinning with anticipation then to the Hinox who looked so sure of himself, that he actually felt _bad_ for what he was about to say, then back at the gooey purple and green "food" they brought him.

"What the hell is this." Blue asked but didn't want an answer, grabbing the spoon and stirring it but made no attempt to eating(? Drinking?) it.

"What? I got you  _ food _ and this is what you say?" Shadow's smile fell as Blue deadpanned and judged him. He was beginning to think the group did  _ not _ know how food and cooking works.

Or they did but did  _ not _ know what is "good" for hylians such as himself. Different creatures need different sources of nutrients, he guesses.

"First of all, I don't want anything from you." Blue pointed the spoon to the shadow across the table then went back to poking his food.

"Second of all, this is  _ dubious food _ . I  _ think _ I see rocks in it." He grimaced and groaned, crossing his arms and sinking into his seat as he complained.

"I thought I was your 'blackmail material', so why the hell are you  **_trying to POISON me?!_ ** " Blue hissed, his voice growing louder and louder until he yelled the last few words.

"I'm  _ not _ poisoning you." Shadow dismissed, taking note of how Blue's eye began to twitch. "You're just a picky eater!"

"This is Fred's  _ best _ dish!" Shadow informed him and Blue almost shrieked incoherent words.

"Who the hell is Fred?!" He yelled instead and Shadow let out an offended gasp before gesturing to the Hinox that stood beside them.

"Our chef hinox. Be respectful!"

Blue glanced at the food then up at the smug Hinox then at Shadow.

"Well  _ Fred _ clearly is a sorry excuse of a chef."

His statement was followed with nothing but silence. Shadow blinked slowly, his grin growing strained. Blue opened his mouth to continue insulting and disrespecting the creature, that is until he heard sniffling.

Blue slowly looked up and saw a sight he _could_ have expected. It.. It isn't the first time a monster cried because of them.

"Look you made him cry!" Shadow hissed, instantly blaming him.  The sudden accusation riled him up, very much like a kid who didn't want to admit he messed up. Blue crossed his arms, defensive as he avoided looking at the monster and tried to ignore the noise.

"He should take a hit!" He hissed and winced when the Hinox cried out even louder than before. Loud enough that both Shadow and him had to cover their ears.

"Do something!"

"No!!"

Their bickering continued, growing louder and louder as they hurled insults and disrespected each other.

"WELL- wait."

His "order" made the hero shriek even louder and Shadow let out a frustrated groan, taking advantage of his magic and using it to shut the hero up.

"Listen."

He heard muffled protests that quickly stopped as Blue realized exactly what the other wanted him to focus on. The Hinox wasn't here anymore. Once he was sure the other was calm, Shadow allowed his magic to let go of its hold on the hero and they looked at where the Hinox stood. 

Shadow frowned then pinched the bridge of his nose before letting go and sighing. "Okay okay, fine. What do  _ you _ say is good food."

"Hm.." Blue paused and started to think of the food he missed so dearly. "Vegetable Risotto. Tasty as hell." He sighed and continued to poke his disappointment of food.

"Also Veggie cream stew. It's  _ definitely  _ good for the health." Blue admitted, his mind drifting to all the food he craved and began to get increasingly hungry at the thought along with nostalgia. 

Never did he realize he will actually  _ miss _ Red and his cooking. The realization itself made him pause and frown. He missed him.

What was the last thing they did together?

Memories of the river and their fight rushed back to him and he gritted his teeth.

He did not  _ need _ them. He did not  _ miss _ them. He did not feel.. bad. He didn't.

He was in the right. He was right. He was _always_ right, they didn't listen.

The hotheaded hero pushed them to the back of his mind, he didn't need to think of them. Not now. 

Blue paused, zoning back in when he noticed he kept glaring at his food and looking up to see the other silent yet focused on him.

The realization that the other was focusing on him while he had his own internal dilemma only increased his awkwardness. He did enjoy attention but not from  _ him _ . It always felt weird and as if he was moments away from messing up and getting taunted.

"Curry rice.." Blue tried to go back to the main topic, food. "It's pretty okay, spicy though. Needs some specific spice so obviously, it's a given."

"I dunno where they get the spice though.. it was named Goron? Spice? I think?" Blue paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he wondered. "Thing is I dunno where the Gorons went so uh.. that's off the table." He rambled, internally groaning at the smile that was directed to him. 

Not one good thing followed that smile and the urge to slap it off his face continued to grow as he clenched his jaw.

"So.." Shadow trailed off. "You know how to make these?" 

Blue froze and Shadow's innocent smile turned into a smirk. He did that on purpose. He  _ definitely  _ did that on purpose. Blue gritted his teeth as he forced himself to speak up on the very topic he did not want to focus on.

"Eh.. kinda? Red is the one who made these with me so.." Blue forced out, admitting it. He glared at the food once more. Jabbing it with more force.  He did not need to think of them. He did  _ not _ need to think of them.

He did lie. He never helped  _ him _ , but he watched. Making sure the other didn't do something stupid with their only food while they were on the road. They did erupt in fights when Red burnt some of the food that led to him and Green fighting.

They fought a lot.

Blue paused at that. Foreign weight settling in him as he acknowledged that.

They fought a lot.  _ He _ fought with them a lot.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to humor that last thought or acknowledge it.

They wouldn't fight  _ as much _ if they just _listened_ to him. He was right. He  _ is _ right. And he will _always_ be in the right.

He's a hero, after all. He's chosen to save Hyrule and save Zelda. All heroes they looked up to were good. They were always in the right. They didn't make mistakes. No legend mentioned of a hero failing in their history, they all had struggles but they _never_ made a mistake.

And _he_ was a hero.

So there is no possible way for him to not be right.. right? He's a hero and heroes don't make mistakes.

He does not make mistakes. He was and always has been in the right.  Link is needed. Link is important. Link is the hero. Blue is Link.  He's a good guy. A good hero. He's the main hero. The color just happened to be an accident, just because  _ Green _ wore what Link wore does  _ not _ mean a thing.

So why is there a foreign weight in him? Probably nostalgia. Definitely nostalgia. He just missed proving how good he is.

"So the little guy knows how to cook. You have no right to judge then!" Shadow exclaimed loud enough to bring Blue back into reality.

It wasn't that he was oblivious, Shadow did notice the not so subtle changes in the hero's demeanor. He noticed how he would react to certain things with a little more.. attachment?

Not attachment.. Close. Something close to it.

It would get a rise out of him, the past few days of him showing up to taunt him helped him pick up on what dug a little deeper and what didn't.

Anything that made him think of the others made his blood boil. More dismissive, more insulting, more.. emotional?

And when he pointed it out, he would get nothing but denial. They both knew that mentioning the other three would make him react violently. Whether it was out of protectiveness or not, he didn't know. Neither did Blue it seems because he always looked so conflicted and distant as if he was arguing with his own mind as well.

"I  _ do _ and I will!" He said instantly, instinctively as if that's the only attitude he could have with the other, to oppose him in any possible way in every opportunity.  Then again they always argued and cackled when they won their arguments. That's what you get when you put two argumentative individuals with an unbelievably huge ego.

"Yeah well you upset the chef, apologize to him." Shadow reminded and Blue cringed at that. Ears bending downwards as he avoided eye contact, an obvious pout on his face. Shadow can tell that there was a hint of guilt in him.

"No."

"Then eat it!"

"No!" Blue hissed then let out an exhausted sigh, "How about you guys make actual good food  _ then _ I'll eat." He challenged, reminding him of their previous bet.  "Unless.. you forfeit that is." 

This time Blue is the one who smirked while Shadow glared. He gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes.

"You don't even know how to make food yourself!" Shadow pointed out and Blue's subtle smirk turned into a huge grin.

"I can and I will!" He announced with the same confidence the Hinox previously had.

"Prove it!"

"Fine!"

He pushed himself up and off the seat before the ropes reappeared and he glared at the shadow. He forgot that they would come back as soon as he tried to leave.

"Release me first."

" _No,_ you will tell us what to do and they'll follow along." 

"Ugh fine."

He should have continued sitting.

* * *

"That.. smells good..?"

Shadow stared at the cake. It was the first time he ever had such a Hyrule delicacy, sure they had their own traditional version of "cakes" in the dark world, but those were always so rare for him. So so rare that only on huge occasions they would have them. 

They did look different too, the light world desserts and pastry tasted different than theirs. This world had a  _ lot _ of sugar in it, everything was incredibly sweet that it made the shadow's teeth hurt.  His world had a little kick in it, a little spice.

"I know." 

Shadow rolled his eyes at that, watching the hero cut a huge piece of it then passing it to Fred the hinox.

They were following their original plan, Blue would bark orders and Fred would reluctantly follow and even throw his own insults that flew right over Blue's head as he acknowledged them as nothing but growls. Shadow knew every single word Fred threw at the hero and had to give some excuse for why he would suddenly burst out laughing.

It was until Fred couldn't crack the eggs and how Blue yelled at Shadow to take over then an argument over who orders who around and Blue yelling "What's a shadow to a hero?" to which Shadow shot back with a "What's a knight to a prince?" and then Blue had to yell over the eggshells again.

It gave them all a headache so Blue was  _ temporarily  _ released and took over. He definitely swatted everyone's hands with the wooden spoon whenever they came  _ too _ close.

"I didn't expect the monster extract would help honestly." Blue admitted with a shrug as he sat down with his own piece, taking a bite and had to hold and cover his delight with a cough and covering his mouth to hide his smallest hint of a smile. Finally. Some good fucking food.

Shadow did notice his attempt to hide his glee and satisfaction, trying to keep it 'professional' and keep up their enemy-ship. He rolled his eyes but smirked as he took his own bite.

It was a weird combo. It had the sweetness of Hyrule and the spice of the dark world. Unfamiliar yet filled him with nostalgia. He won't say it but he was  _ sort _ of impressed.

"What is this." Shadow tried, already knowing the answer but wanting to distract himself from the fact he acknowledged and complimented his enemy even if it was internal.

"Well it  _ was _ supposed to be a cake." Blue hummed, taking another bite and another and another until he had to get a new piece.  Although when he turned to see where the cake once was, it was gone. Vanished into thin air and it made him blink. They made such a huge cake, how in the world did it vanish? 

Blue frowned then looked up at Fred who avoided his gaze, then looked at the other minions of all types, each with their own piece of cake. Some were fighting over it and Blue winced when he saw one wizzrobe burnt someone's hand before disappearing with the cake.

"Now that it has that monster extract giving it a weird kick.." Blue tried to continue, obviously distracted by how the cake instantly finished. He did pout before a piece was pushed into his plate and he stared up and saw Fred giving him a thumbs up before leaving. Blue opened his mouth then closed it, confused and embarrassed over that little interaction he had with the chef.

"I guess it's.." He paused as he looked down at it, poking it. "Monster cake..?" Blue continued with his voice barely audible, then flushed at the fact he named it after them and with such uncreativeness yet 'simple thoughtfulness'. 

He hoped the other didn't hear him but judging his face, he definitely did. Shadow _definitely_ noticed that and he did notice the "Do not." glare the flustered hero sent his way.

"I mean.." He grinned, holding back a snicker. "Clearly they're enjoying it." 

Blue groaned at that and Shadow's snickers slipped out.

"Anyway, finish up so that we can 'escort' you to your cell." He reminded him and Blue paused then frowned, glaring down at the food and continued to jab it violently. He didn't know eating could be done with so much anger yet he should have expected it.

Ten minutes passed and he saw the hero take only  _ one _ bite.

Twenty minutes passed and most monsters left, going back to carrying on their own duties. There was still a lot of the cake left on the hero's plate.

Forty minutes passed and only half of it was done. Shadow raised an eyebrow as he watched the hero push a piece left, down, right, up, left, down and repeat the cycle.

"What the hell is wrong with  _ you _ ." Shadow raised an eyebrow. He did notice the hero subtly tensing up and quickly trying to mask it with a frown and a glare.

"What."

"You keep poking and playing with your food, idiot." He continued and he noticed the other shift awkwardly in his place and grit his teeth.

"Maybe it's cause you wouldn't stop staring? How the hell am I supposed to eat when you're doing that?!" Blue hissed as he stabbed the cake with a little too much force. He instantly regretted it when he saw the shadow's eyebrows both rise up and an amused smile on his face.

"Shy?" Shadow grinned and Blue kicked the other's leg, causing him to yelp and glare. The reaction amused Blue, a  _ little _ . He was still frowning but there is some amusement hidden behind that angry mask of his.

"No! Just weirded out!" He scoffed then yelped when he got an even harsher kick from the other and let out a hiss of pain. Glaring at Shadow while he cackled.

"Ugh, you take joy out of my discomfort." Blue groaned and Shadow's face lit up at that.

"Of course, I am your enemy."

"Lucky me." Blue muttered under his breath, sarcasm clear in his tone.

"Alright enough banter, finish up." Shadow gestured and Blue let out a sigh and slowly nodded.

"Mhm."

Another ten minutes passed and this time Shadow tried to not focus on him, instead, he played with his knife, twirling it between his fingers and throwing it before catching it.

When he looked back at the hero, he noticed him still barely finishing the cake. He  _ could _ tell them he's full if that was the case, yet Shadow can tell that _wasn't_ the actual cause.

Then it clicked. He watched the hero tug his sleeves a little. The brief subtle wince and scowl.  _ Then _ it clicked.

"Ohh.."

Blue's ears perked up and he looked up and saw the other's gaze was fixated on him once more and his discomfort was brought back as he instantly started to poke his food instead.

"What."

"You're  _ stalling _ ." Shadow pointed out and the tense up confirmed his suspicions.

"No I'm not." He denied, Shadow could see his fists clenching as he lied, he was no longer jabbing his food but rather glaring at it.

"You don't want to go back there." Shadow continued and Blue tensed up, anxiety clear in those azure eyes of his. The hero gritted his teeth, feeling sick at the fact the other treated this like some sort of a guessing game. "Oh, I figured it out."

He didn't need to look up to know the other was grinning, he could hear the smugness in his tone loud and clear.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He tried to deny, always deny, but Shadow dismissed it. He did not want him to ignore it. He wanted him to argue. Not continue his game.

"I mean.. it makes  _ sense _ ." Shadow hummed, "You've been traveling with three heroes and suddenly you're alone." 

Blue paused at the mention. He knew he will bring them up. He expected it. But he didn't want him to. It's not like the other would listen to him anyway though.

"You  _ never _ parted ways." Shadow mentioned and Blue let out a scoff that sounded more out of force than anything as if he was forcing himself to ignore and deny such a claim.

"Now you're just bullshitting." He hissed and, for the first time, his tone sounded cold. Tried to at least, Shadow could tell. Of course, he could. He was supposed to be able to read them like they were an open book. He was  _ supposed _ to know.

"Homesick hero, I didn't even  _ realize _ you had that ability to  _ miss _ them." Shadow grinned, almost snickering. "Oh, that's  _ so  _ embarrassing." He teased, trying to get the usual rise. Pushing every button just to get that anger-fueled tantrum.

But he didn't.

Not this time.

_That_ confused him enough that even his grin fell when he saw the hero stay quiet and reply with a monotone, almost inhumane, voice.

"I'm not homesick. I don't  _ miss  _ or  _ need _ them." Blue stated coldly, he ignored the way the other stared with surprise. "And I can kill that demon all by myself, I don't need _any_ of them." He continued.

Almost so sure of himself yet not. He could hear some hesitation he tried to crush behind that false sense of independence. Shadow would have been  _ concerned _ over the hero if it weren't for the fact they were enemies. Instead, he was confused. 

Confused over how the hero denied it. Not  _ why _ he denied it but  _ how _ . What made him deny it wasn't because he was too blind to see it, Shadow could tell. He  _ chose  _ to ignore it.

The creature of darkness wondered, pondered, over it. They were hylians. Hylians got so  _ attached _ to things, attached to the point they needed to live in a community because complete solitude would drive them insane. Yet the hero before him chose to cut all connections and deny it.

Was it because he thought it was a sign of weakness? No, it can't be. These hylians took pride over such meaningless things. Took pride in connections and unity.

Shadow frowned. The more he thought over it, the more confusing it got to him. Until he realized that maybe this was a trick. His eyes widened at that. Maybe he was saying it just to divert his attention, to avoid using them against him because he claimed no association with them.

But he was bad at lying. If that was the case, Shadow would have figured it out a long time ago. Pride? Probably. Was it a bruised ego? Highly likely.

"Last time you were on your own you  _ froze _ ." Shadow reminded and Blue paused, gritting his teeth as he glared daggers into the plate.

"That was  _ one _ time." He forced out, struggling to maintain a leveled tone.

"That led you to get captured." Shadow continued, pushing it further and he snapped.

"Can you can it with being captured?!" Blue yelled, his voice echoing in the empty room. He didn't even notice that it has gotten so late that everyone left.

"Do I look like I'm some damsel in distress?!" He rolled his eyes and Shadow's raised eyebrow that wordlessly said 'really?' at such a question. Blue seemed to get the hint because he quickly followed that with a "Do  _ not _ answer that."

"Good!" Shadow clapped, "That means you know the truth! Honestly, you're freaking out more than Zelda ever did."

Blue's ever so rising anger fell the moment the shadow mentioned their princess. Anger quickly replaced with dread and anxiety at the realization his princess was in the same situation as him for a much longer time.

"What did you do to Zelda."

Hesitation obvious in his voice, Shadow could see the color drain from the hero. He wanted to claim false ideas just to toy with him, although the moment he heard the anxiety in his hesitant voice he decided against it.  He didn't know why he went against it. Probably pity or just repaying him for the food. Or boredom. Definitely boredom.

"Nothing, she's in her tower with a whole room for herself and a throne even." He tried to reassure with a shrug. Blue studied his face, narrowing his eyes, skeptical, when he couldn't trace a hint of deceit.

"... I don't believe you." He admitted and Shadow shrugged once more.

"Suit yourself."

"Anyway, enough of this." He pushed himself off his seat then snapped his fingers and magic swirled around them. "Let's get you back."

Blue yelped as the room shifted then fell on his back. Rubbing his head while the Shadow snorted in amusement.

"Ow."

He grinned at that as the ropes materialized back into existence around the hero. The hero winced and frowned, mostly out of questioning judgment when he noticed the ropes weren't as tight as before.

"I'll see you in the morning~! Don't sneak out again this time." Shadow announced and all Blue did was blow a raspberry.

"Real mature."

He vanished with his laugh echoing until the hero was left with nothing but silence.

Blue shifted for a bit before sighing and leaning against the wall. The thoughts of earlier came back to him, the thoughts of what he happened between them. Everything. It came back to him.

He didn't like being left alone to his thoughts. Not when memories that offered him nothing but bitter feelings to dwell in him.  Blue gritted his teeth. 

He didn't need them. He didn't need any of them. He could save the world all by himself, they either get out of his way or follow his lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue does not know the passage of time and neither do I. ANYWAY hope y'all enjoyed this short chapter. Istg the start was a little awkward for me to write HHHHHHH but yeah. Anyway, we stan Fred the npc Hinox.


	3. If it's too quiet, you probably should bail. That is a lesson the duo learned the hard way.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you and your enemy find out you are more similar than you originally thought. At least that's something they both need to acknowledge.

Blue watched him pace back and forth, muttering and reading scroll after scroll as all the letters floated around him and switched between each other.

"Why are you here anyway?"

Blue tried his best to shrug, the perfect answer to the prince's question. They both knew the actual reason was that cleaning was the first thing on the agenda of this week and it was finally the dungeons' turn.

He was almost envious of it. The idea of getting to be clean was a wish he longed for. He needed to convince them to let him bathe, he definitely smelled like a pile of garbage.

"Ay dumbass."

"Hm?"

"Can I at least get to shower."

Shadow paused as he slowly turned to face him, tilting his head in confusion. Blue did nothing but stare back with nothing but complete boredom.

"We gave you time for that..?" Shadow informed and Blue raised an eyebrow and blinked.

" _When_."

"Uh? The five minute breaks?"

"... Do you not know how Hylians work?"

"Huh?"

Blue's eye twitched as he shrieked. "THAT IS NOT ENOUGH." Shadow jumped at that as he watched the hero complain once more. He started to regret ever bringing him back, he _almost_ thought maybe he should have left him to die.. Or at least to throw him back to the heroes. The thought was pushed back as he reminded himself of the use he could take advantage of and how beneficial it would be to keep him around.

"I need _bathroom_ breaks for other stuff!!! Showering and cleaning up takes a while!!!" Blue complained as he shuddered as best as he could against his restraints. "I _demand_ more time!"

Shadow paused then let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine okay fine. You get more time. Happy? Now let me focus."

Blue blinked then grinned. Success. Shadow tried to go back to his work but the obvious pride in the other annoyed him. Honestly the other acted like a brat and Shadow wanted to scream over it. He started to wonder when did their suppose to be captive turned into some guest that barked orders and got what he wanted just because he wouldn't shut up and run his mouth. 

They did play chess together though. That.. that was fun.

* * *

"I SAID DON'T MOVE THE QUEEN TO— SHADOW WHAT THE FUCK."

"You said left!"

"MY LEFT YOU IDIOT—"

* * *

Anyway!

Shadow continued to pace and this time Blue was quiet for a bit. He did zone out a little until he heard a loud yell and Shadow gritting his teeth in frustration. 

"Uh.." Blue watched the other hold a piece of paper tightly to the point he was sure it will rip. He watched his anger quickly fade as he regained his composure, he wanted to ask what that was about but in an instant, Shadow snapped his fingers and the chef was summoned once more. This time in a bright yellow apron and mittens, the hinox let out a growl of complaint but quickly fell quiet when Shadow raised his hand up.

"Watch him, I have duties to take care of."

And with that, the shadow disappeared. Leaving behind the hero and hinox to glance at each other with confusion before shrugging.

"So…" Blue started, almost awkwardly. "What do you say about some monster stew?" He suggested with a half-grin and the hinox stared down then brought out two bottles of monster extract that made Blue's grin widen and they rushed off. 

Er. The hinox rushed off, Blue almost followed before getting picked up and settling on his shoulder.

"You know, you're not as bad as I thought." Blue let out a sigh. He did not know he will get along with a monster yet here he was vibing with the hinox.

* * *

Blue didn't focus much, only instructed him from the table while the chef continued working. They did run into some trouble with some hinox trying to pick a fight with him, Blue _did_ throw insults about him and his mother in retaliation and the chef had to get in between them.

It was awkwardly quiet after that as the smell of food filled the air. Blue stayed silent as thoughts of last night resurfaced. The light poke on his head confused him though, looking up he saw the hinox judge him and Blue let out a frustrated sigh.

"Nothing nothing, just thinking."

The monster let out a growl.

"Oh? Just.. thinking of my team and all."

Another growl.

"Not you too. " He groaned then yelled in denial. "I don't miss them!" Blue denied a little too defensively, despite the fact he did not understand a word the other said. "I don't. I'm mostly thinking how they probably are dying and need _me_." He continued.

"What? No." Blue gritted his teeth. "Yeah they're heroes too but uh.." He frowned and the monster continued to growl and snarl. He stayed quiet after that, letting the hinox continue his speech.

Nodding slowly, Blue let out a sigh. "You're a wise.. hinox." He paused then cringed.

"Why am I talking? I barely understand what you say." Blue admitted and the monster let out a noise that he assumed was laughter as it smacked his back.

"OW?!"

Blue shot him an amused grin despite the obvious aching pain that lingered. "I'll get you back on that." He hissed.

* * *

He did continue to roam around later with the hinox. Mostly to show off the stew they made and grinning at the reactions they got. They, unfortunately, found out there was a limit to how far he could go though, because one moment he was with Fred and the next he vanished, reappeared in his cell, had a wizzrobe yell insults and then got kicked out. 

He did try to find the chef again and found him bawling his eye out over where he stood and coughed then cleared his throat to capture his attention. The hinox did pick him up and hug him and that was an incredibly awkward moment for him as he screeched to be freed of his hold.

They continued to roam inside the tower until it was finally nightfall and he did yawn a bunch of times as the duo waited for the shadow to come back. 

The stew, definitely cold by the time Shadow did reappear, was set in front of them on the wooden table with the hinox sitting on the floor crisscrossed while Blue sat on the table ranting and swinging his legs. Both jumping to their feet when they saw the dark prince walk in with closed fists and heavy stomps that served to show he was pissed off yet exhausted.

Blue almost felt pity towards the shadow. He tried to hide it though, but it was obvious to him that he couldn't since Shadow yelled to stop looking at him like that.

"You. You're supposed to be in your cell." Shadow hissed and Blue wanted to retort but before they could argue, he was in that empty now dark room with only torches as its source of light. Blue swayed a little before managing to stand still, he was proud of that.

"So about that break." Blue tried to bring back, already starting to talk about his demands but yelped when the Shadow's fists grabbed him by front of his tunic and slammed him back to the wall. 

"Shut up."

Blue hissed in pain, slowly opening his eyes then staring in surprise, he wanted to complain about how it was unfair since he couldn't really fight back, but the cat definitely caught his tongue as he froze and stared at those crimson eyes with uncertainty. The slit eyes, thin almost nonexistent except for the brief red and yellow glint that threw him off.

He could see anger in them and weirdly enough he could tell they weren't directed to him. That confused him as he blinked and tried to get out of the other's hold.

"What happened." Blue asked, hesitantly, as he eyed the hands that he could feel were in between shifting from normal hylian looking hands into sharp claws. He wouldn't admit it, but he definitely could sense some lingering fear that filled him with nothing but embarrassed denial.

Shadow gritted his teeth and he could tell they were sharper than usual and he did _not_ want to be in such close proximity with him. Not like this not in this situation, maybe if he had his sword or something. But. Not. Now.

"What happened." He repeated and Shadow let out a scoff and let go of the hero, it was now Blue realized his feet could actually touch the floor unlike moments ago as he slid against the wall before shuffling to get away from it, not wanting to be pinned again.

"Some bullshit." Shadow admitted, Blue could see his nails are digging into his crossed arms.

Blue shifted awkwardly, waiting for Shadow to continue. Then the other glared at him and for the first time, he felt actual genuine fear stir in him. He won't acknowledge it. All he will acknowledge is the odd sense of being incredibly cautious of his words. He cringed at what he was about to say. The captain's, Link's father, voice in the back of his mind advising him things he, Link, didn't accept but needed. Blue let out a sigh, disbelieving the fact he is doing this.

"Do you.." Blue bit his lip then let out a sign. He really is gonna offer this huh. How hypocritical. "Do you want to uh… go for a walk and talk about It..?" 

Shadow's ears perked up in surprise and Blue almost instinctively tried to shield himself from an attack. The situation felt familiar. Too familiar. His reaction was too familiar. 

The feeling stirring in him lingered yet was replaced with a sense of familiarity and for a moment all he could see in front of him wasn't the shadow but himself and all he could connect to _himself_ was a hero clad in red with bright optimistic eyes. A similar situation with different individuals. Red's voice reminding him of the captain's advice along with memories from Link stirring in the back of his mind.

He pushed that away. He couldn't waste his time thinking about them. About _him_ . Not _yet_ . Not **_now_ ** . Especially not about how similar yet different this situation is. Because instead of teammates, it's enemies. Instead of someone else approaching him, it was _him_ that reached out.

Hypocritical almost, he never liked talking about his _feelings_. He could never get the words out.

Yet it was the opposite with Shadow.

Shadow's eyes widened, the glow growing then dimming as quickly as it came as he stared with surprise, with shock. Not because he was shocked over his own mortal enemy asking for his thoughts, _offering_ him an ear to listen. It was because this is a _first_ , something _new_ . It was _odd_ . A change he isn't sure if he's comfortable with or if he _hoped_ for it.

"Are you serious?"

Blue sputtered and scoffed as he looked to the side, gritting his teeth as he avoided looking at him. His eyebrows furrowed, connecting. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't, idiot." He hissed out, embarrassed and expecting to be made fun of, a laugh and a tease. Instead, he was left with silence that made him look back and see the shadow frozen and staring with confusion.

"What?! Either you talk or we fight! I don't care! I'll kick your ass!!"

His yell didn't seem to have any effect on the other. Instead, the Shadow's eyebrows furrowed and he opened then closed his mouth. Then the ropes felt loose and disappeared. Blue looked down and moved his arms, sore and aching.

The offer to fight intrigued him. It was much more familiar to him. The familiarity brought him comfort, security. Talking made him feel weird, vulnerable. Yet.. to talk freely? To be heard..? Will he get a similar chance again..? Familiar or change..?

"I.. want to.. uh.. talk..? I guess?" Shadow frowned, hesitant and awkward. Blue's frown turned into an amused grin that caught the other's attention. His grin grew when the other attempted to hide his awkward hesitation by scoffing and crossing his arms. "I honestly just want to throw insults."

"Okay then.." Blue paused and the purple-haired antagonist of his stared with anticipation, waiting for him to continue.

"Er.. well.."

He paused once more and Shadow tilted his head in confusion. "Goddesses, wait, do you even breathe?"

Shadow's unamused "really." told him that no. The other _didn't_ 'have' to breathe. 

"What! It's just!" Blue frowned then groaned as he crossed his arms. "Walks and shit are great cause of space and stuff and yeah."

"Space..?" Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Space is too small here." Blue excused as his eyes glanced from one corner to another, Shadow watched him look around with caution. It wasn't that he didn't know what the other was planning but it was rather that he did not want his suspicions to come true. He knew they would if he let his guard down.

Not because of anything, really. He was just too tired and angry over the whole day that this inconvenience would annoy him even further and he did _not_ need another disaster.

Shadow watched the other rummage around a bit, turning a few pots that he did not recall were there. Then he let out an 'ah-ha.' and picked up a crumpled hat, hearing him cuss under his breath as he patted it before wearing it. "It's too small here." Blue shrugged, his hands resting on his hips. "So..? Let's go."

Shadow's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he gritted his teeth. "Is this some stupid trick? Do you think I'm that foolish?"

"What? No?" 

"Really?" Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Because it seems to me you want to get away and use this as a chance to escape. You're still my prisoner, asshole. Just because I'm more considerate of your 'demands' does not mean I'm stupid."

"I wasn't thinking of that." Blue deadpanned then paused and grinned. "Though I appreciate you thinking I'm smart enough to pull that off."

Shadow wanted to stay mad and snappy but that last comment made his lips twitch into a smile and then he let out a laugh that confused the hero. "Are you saying you're stupid?" He asked between laughs and Blue opened his mouth then paused as no words left his mouth other than "oh shit." at this realization.

" _No_.. it's because I know the sword will still be with you. I don't want to lose it." Blue tried to deny and Shadow snorted and rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"Make me."

"Hm. Tempting offer, but no thanks." Blue stuck his tongue, blowing a raspberry. 

"Ew— you're childish."

"Also I know the limits." Blue continued, ignoring his comment, and Shadow blinked then stared at him. 

"You _what._ " Shadow's stare turned into a glare when he heard the other laugh. 

"Dude, calm down." Blue rolled his eyes, snickering then shooting him a toothy grin. "I found out there's a limit to where I can head. That if I go over that I'd teleport back." 

"Kinda cheeky isn't it?" Blue poked fun and Shadow rolled his eyes then smirked back. "Of course, then again I'm surprised it took you _this_ long to find that out." Shadow hummed and Blue's grin fell.

"Hey shut up! I'm the one who's poking fun not you!"

"Really? It was the other way around."

"... No."

Blue frowned, watching the other's face scrunch up as he laughed. "Can we just get to the point? Leaving?"

"Oh right okay uh…" Shadow tapped his chin then paused. "I er… hm.." He struggled, trying to choose and acknowledge every possible factor. 

It would have been fun for Blue if he knew what went on in the other's mind, but he didn't and all he had was a glaring frustrated purple-haired shadow that wanted to insult some people. He Thinks.

…

And he had enough. Blue let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples. "What's wrong."

"I.. have no idea where to go. I mean it has to be somewhere—" Shadow dissolved into a rambling mess, rubbing his chin and finally repeating the thoughts that ran in his head out loud that made Blue look at him then away awkwardly before sighing and deciding to help him out.

"Honestly?"

Shadow paused, turning to face the other with a 'hm?' 

"Just.. pick wherever, but _safe,_ " Blue added quickly, "place we can go.. I guess?" He shrugged and Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Safe you say?" Shadow's lips curled upwards, Blue narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Yeah? And?"

"So.. you're telling me… mister hero wants to be safe? What? Too scared? Need to be protected?" 

Blue's eye twitched at that, scowling in disapproval. Then his scowl fell, a small subtle yet smug smile replaced it. "Ah no.." He whispered, crossing his arms and grinning. "It was supposed to give you privacy and all.. since _you_ want to.. I dunno.. lean on a _hero_ for support?"

Blue's grin grew wider the moment he saw Shadow's smile drop and stare with denial, he could see him go through the five stages of grief at once and then growing pale at the realization.

"Oh, what do you know?! Ugh. This is stupid." Shadow hissed as he shifted out of the room, through the cell bars. "Why do I even humor you." Blue heard him mutter as he watched the other make sure the door was locked. Shadow tensed up as he heard the other steps come closer, narrowing his eyes as he looked at him in the eye.

"I guess it is stupid, but.." Blue agreed as he held the bars and leaned close, voice dropping until it was but a mere whisper. "Wouldn't it be fun?" He grinned.

"Bend the rules a bit?" Blue hummed, "Just one hour? If it's too much then we can just instantly come back here?"

His eyebrows furrowed as Shadow stared at the door then back at the hero. It was wrong. He knew it was wrong. 

"... you just want to insult people, huh..?" Shadow whispered back to him and Blue let go of the bars to raise his arms in defeat and shrug, grinning.

"Guilty~!" 

A pause then he quickly added.

_"..and_ I'm hoping somewhere fresh cause I've been inhaling nothing but smoke and frankly I miss the fresh air. So? What do you say?"

Shadow snickered at that then nodded. "Just thirty minutes." He hummed and when he saw the hero nod, Shadow tapped his chin and wondered over where they should go then he grinned and wisps of pitch black smoke wrapped around them before dispersing, leaving behind nothing but sparks of magic.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the cold. He shuddered, instantly hugging himself. The next thing he noticed smokeless, fresh, air that was an obvious yet comforting change. The third thing he noticed was the vast emptiness. The weird quiet minus the sounds of crickets and distant river.

He blinked a few times as his sight adjusted to the different lighting. The calm, easy to the eye, moonlight different from the crackling dancing flames that surrounded him. Change was never easy to handle but he will welcome this with _open_ arms.

Blue's face tilted skyward, eyes wide as he saw the vast skies. The moon shining bright with stars scattered around it, some shining brighter than the others. 

He did not realize the hours he spent stuck indoors could make him long to stand in serenity. Then again, he didn't really _notice_ them until he was stripped of the opportunity to be free and wander like a bird stuck in a cage. Even before this whole disaster.

Blue never realized he missed the opportunity to wander without duty hanging over his head. Call him nostalgic yet he misses those little moments he got to spend with his best friend and helping her get the flower. He knew he loved being a hero, to be a knight, but he did miss when life wasn't so stressful.

Goddesses, it's the first time he had actually noticed this many stars and genuinely appreciated them in so _long_. They rarely made trips to this field, always gone before the sun has set. He never really paid attention to the skies up until this moment.

Come to think of it, he never really focused on the night skies even after they split up and traveled. Most nights were cloudy and other times they were inside or near villages that all had their torches and lights and overall _noises._

It was.

Oddly serene. Weirdly enough.

Blue cleared his throat as he stretched his arms, cracking his neck before his hands rested on his hips.

"Er.." Nice??? "Interesting choice." He snickered as he turned to face Shadow.. Um.. Where Shadow was _supposed_ to be at least. Blue blinked as he looked left and right, the other was nowhere in sight. 

Did he just…?

His ear twitched.

"Over here."

He didn't.

He _definitely_ jumped at the sound, he definitely acted like that didn't just happen. Blue's gaze followed to the source of the sound.

Shadow barely moved, staring up at the sky from the ground as he heard the steps get louder until the hero's face came into his line of vision. He didn't know which was worse, the moonlight or the hero's smug grin in front of him.

"Don't." Shadow threatened, he didn't realize all this teleporting and magic and anger left him exhausted.

Blue let out a cackle and rested his foot on the other's chest, pressing lightly. "Or you'll what?"

Shadow's face twisted with disgust, eyes bouncing between the boot in front of him and up to the hero's grinning face. Then he smirked when he saw the other's smile fall as he lost balance. Losing his physical body as he shifted into a shadow, moving aside as the hero fell onto his face.

"Ugh.." Blue gagged as he spat, "Ugh I think some dirt got into my mouth." He said with a shudder, disgust.

Shadow, now no longer an intangible shade, cackled beside him. " _Your face!!_ " 

Blue could feel heat rush to his cheeks as he let out a groan and smacked the other's arm. "Shut up!" He yelled, his attempt to silence the other backfired as Shadow began to wheeze and hug himself.

"Ugh.."

The hero sat up, clearly annoyed with how the other was still wheezing beside him. "Stop being a little shit, don't you want my support?"

"Eh, being a 'little shit' is in my blood, snowflake." Shadow hummed, stifling a laugh as the hero hit him in the face with his hat while sputtering insults regarding the nickname.

"Okay okay, enough teasing." Shadow stated, still grinning.

"How _thoughtful_."

"I know right?"

" _Sarcasm,_ Shadow. Something I guess you lack." Blue continued, still sarcastic, and Shadow rolled his eyes.

"So.. what happened..?"

Shadow's ear twitched. Moments passed of silence, with him lying on the ground, arms crossed while staring up and the other sitting and pulling some grass and fiddling with it.

Blue tugged on his hair then cringed at the state it's in and he scratched it then groaned. "I demand to shower tomorrow though. I _need_ to wash my hair." Blue shuddered in disgust and Shadow snorted but nodded.

"Yeah okay." Shadow hummed, pausing for a moment as he stared up. "Anyway.. uh.. it's weird talking to _you_ about it."

"Yeah, I bet." Blue rolled his eyes, of course it was weird. They're not even supposed to be here _talking_ . _Hanging out_ . Yet, here he was offering to talk about _feelings_ out of awkward pity.

"Just had an argument with Vaati." Shadow finally admitted after a few minutes. Blue's ears perked up and he turned to face him with surprise. This was the _first_ he heard him address that demon without any formalities. He noticed the other avoided looking at him, staring, _glaring_ directly up to the sky. Shadow blew a raspberry and his nails dug into his arms.

"Just—" He sighed. "Vaati was an _ass_."

" _Damn..?_ "

" _Yeah exactly._ " Shadow groaned, "Look— I did _everything_ right. I went and got him free. I fought, captured the princess, I stirred chaos! I literally caught _you_ . A _hero_ . And even went out of my way to do _everything_ while he stayed in that _damn_ tower of his being useless as fuck." He hissed out and Blue wanted to argue over the getting caught part except Shadow's rambling did not give him a chance to jump in. Instead, he settled to listening to the guy throw insults at the people he works for.

"That bastard had the audacity to not only _dismiss_ it but also be an asshole and refuse to listen to _my_ ideas and bark out his. Uh, last I checked _he got defeated_ _and sealed away_. Maybe if he _listened_ then maybe we wouldn't be— UGH.."

"Wait, so you told him about my supposed to be 'capture'? Did he also disagree with the blackmail? I _told_ you it's a bad idea." Blue poked fun, grinning.

"Oh no I didn't. I _wanted_ to." Shadow huffed as he sat up. "And it's _definitely_ a good idea." He argued and Blue let out a long 'ehhhhh nah.' to that. "But I'm starting to see that telling him things _isn't_ useful. So no. He won't know."

"So, Vaati isn't a good leader?"

"Vaati is bad at everything, not just leadership." Shadow complained, pulling his legs to himself so he could rest his head on his knees and letting out a long sigh. 

"Do you know how frustrating it is to be so _good_ , to do _everything_ right, only to be pushed aside and treated like it wasn't _enough_?" Shadow hissed then groaned. 

"God that was pathetic..."

"Not.. really..?" 

Shadow raised an eyebrow as he turned to face him. He saw the other frown, eyebrows connecting as he stared ahead. He was never good at hiding his expressions, he was easy to read and Shadow could tell what ran in the other's mind and could tell exactly what he was feeling. Years of training to be the perfect counterpart did not go to waste, of course he knew. Blue was almost unsure of himself but Shadow could tell by the tone of his voice that he was also surprised.

"God, I _get_ that." Blue grinned nervously, eyes wide in surprise. His surprise definitely rubbed off on him because now _he_ was feeling that nervous confusing surprise. "Holy shit I _get_ what you're talking about."

" _What_." Shadow let out a nervous laugh as Blue nodded with equal confusion, pushing his bangs up as he grinned.

"Dude dude, look _Link_ used to do shit on his own and was _good_ at it but it _always_ seemed to frustrate dad- er.. captain? Honestly, I don't know what he is to me." Blue let out a sigh.

"But it never felt _good_ enough since we- er.. he? Got scolded?" Blue struggled, then scoffed as he crossed his arms.

"And if that ain't bad, imagine fighting with someone who was part of _Link_ as much as you." The hero groaned as he raised his arms up in defeat. "I did _everything_ . I'm the one who would fight and go and do _anything_ for Hyrule's sake!"

Blue paused for a moment and his arms settled down on his side, his fingers digging into the dirt, and Shadow raised an eyebrow. "But..?" He urged him to go on.

"But apparently _I'm_ the one that always fights with my own team. Like damn, these hands are for everyone I guess, even myself apparently."

Shadow snickered as he raised an eyebrow. "Maybe there's a _reason_ why you guys fight? No offense but.."

"Offense taken."

"I didn't even _finish_."

"Whenever someone says no offense, it _definitely_ is offensive." Blue spoke bluntly and Shadow shrugged but nodded.

" _Fine_ .. but maybe there's a reason you guys fight? I mean dude you pretty much _try_ to attack anyone that breathes in your direction even if they didn't do shit." Shadow pointed out and Blue blinked then frowned then scoffed.

"I do _not_."

"Really? Then oh do tell me.. what happened the first time when you first met?" Shadow hummed, tapping his chin in fake thoughtfulness. "Oh that's right.. you _fought_ with them."

"We _all_ fought with each other." Blue corrected. "Green was an ass, acting like he's the main link when he isn't—"

"Vio was a piece of shit, always trying to get the last say."

"And Red was.. uh.. Red was himself, I dunno." 

Shadow rolled his eyes. Noting all the hypocritical comments the other shot. "Okay okay, you all fought at the start. But didn't you notice _they all_ are more comfortable with each other than _you_ are with them? That _they_ can talk together but fight with _you_?"

Blue opened his mouth then closed it, frowning. Then he pushed the other a little too aggressively before getting up.

"What do _you_ know?!" Blue hissed, voice growing loud. Shadow raised an eyebrow as he rubbed his arm, patting away the dirt as he turned to glare at the other. "We _all_ fought! And the reason _I_ don't get along with _them_ is because _they_ aren't on the same level as _me!_ " 

"I'm the one who fights, I'm the one who makes sure they don't get cheeky. I'm the one who makes sure we don't stop fighting! Maybe if _they_ didn't slack then _maybe we wouldn't have a damn problem._ "

He blinked in surprise as he watched the hero that stood before him with wide eyes. He _knew_ it was a touchy subject but he didn't expect him to get _that_ defensive.

"And who cares! I mean! Link always worked best alone! So!" Blue's hands turned into fists as he gritted his teeth. "So maybe I'm right— No, I _am_ right! I'm most _certainly_ right!"

"Uh.. Blue?"

"No— you shut up, I did _everything_ correctly. I'm a hero! I'm the good guy! Of course, I'm right!" 

"Blue I think—"

"Hell, I'm so _fucking good_ that I'm actually _offering_ to hear you. Any little shit would have used that to attack you but I'm being straightforward and _clear_ . I'm _clear_ with you."

"I'm transparent! Heroes are supposed to be transparent! So I'm good. I'm.." Blue paused as Shadow stared up at him with wide eyes, but it's not the shadow's face that made him stop. It was the very sudden lack of light, the shade that fell upon them and he slowly turned to come face to face with a creature that he now _knew_ was the reason they never stayed out late.

All color drained from his face as he looked up and saw a four-legged creature that towered over both of them. It held a sword as its eyes glowed yellow behind its huge mane.

"Uh… Love your hair." Blue tried nervously, starting a small talk that only served to confuse the shadow and anger the creature.

The creature pointed its sword at him and Blue tripped in the attempt to move back. Both he and Shadow next to each other as the creature cornered them.

"Shadow, it would be a great time to use your teleporting magic—" Blue hissed as he stared up, ears bent down as Shadow smiled nervously. "I _would_ if I had _enough,_ asshole."

"Can't you order it to stand down—"

"Well, my dear foolish _hero_. There's a fuckin reason why I work with the damn Hinox!"

"What the _fu—_ " His cuss was cut off as the creature let out a sudden roar that startled the asleep animals awake and made the duo freeze and a sharp weapon aimed at his neck.

Blue finally realized why they never _ever_ stayed here for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know idk if Lynels exist in FS bUT THEY DO NOW. Anyway everyone say rip Blue and Shadow-


	4. -insert bad kazoo cover-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... I have no words <3

Dead or not, Blue knew he became a saint with how his faith in the high mighty skyrocketed as he prayed to Hylia to get him out of this disaster, to send any miracle towards him, any angel or savior to get him out of this death.

He  _ thought _ he was dead. He refused to open his eyes or move, frozen still in fear. Afraid that even the slightest of movement will strike pain.

That is until he heard a grunt and a cough, and cracked an eye open. The sword was only an atom away, the tip barely brushing against his neck, and he saw a familiar outline. A familiar outline surrounded them and magic washed and surrounded him, enough magic to have his hair standing, floating briefly before settling. There was no wind yet he could feel a chill sending a shiver down his spine and he could see yet everything felt.. disoriented?

His life lost its touch, its vibrancy. Everything seemed dull, greyscale. Even breathing felt shallow as if he was no longer in that open field.

Eyes wide as he took in the sight before him, he could see the lynel move and let go of its sword yet it stayed still as if it was frozen in place, he could see it open his mouth and yell yet he couldn't hear it. The crickets, the lynel, everything lost its sound.

Except for  the heaving right next to him. His head whipped to the side, Shadow was heaving next to him. Then he noticed  _ he _ didn't lose his color, neither did Blue, neither did the grass below them. 

His chest rising and falling with each deep breath he took and his gaze fixed on the beast before them that rose its arms over its head and slammed it down to their heads, except it stopped and the sword shook in its place. Blue saw a brief glow, a brief black the lynel and its surroundings turned darker and the shadow flinched. Then back to the greyscale and the shadow took a shaky breath.

Forcefield. He  _ thinks _ .

"You can do that?!" Blue hissed and Shadow let out a wheeze. "It's the one thing I could! Not for long though!" h e panted as the forcefield that surrounded them shook under the pressure with each slam and roar from the beast and he saw the shadow choke and clutch his head.

"Teleport us, dumbass!" 

"I  _ would _ but if you want to end up in lava, then be my fuckin guest!" 

"Do you  _ not _ have magic? I thought you were  _ so _ powerful!"

" _ Clearly  _ not! I— shut up!" he could hear the pain mixed with anger in his voice and felt bad for yelling. Blue felt stupid for asking, logically he would have done so already so asking was not the smartest thing he did.

"Oh for the love of Hylia!" Blue winced as the creature slammed its arms once more, the forcefield flickering a bit before shrinking. His eyes bounced around, trying to find _something_ to aid them. For a moment he wondered what  _ Vio  _ would do. He gritted his teeth, swallowing his pride as he settled on the best course of action. Green would be proud but he isn't in the mood to get irritated at the thought of him.

"What helps you regain power?" 

Shadow winced as the field shook, with each pound against the magical force he felt another in the back of his mind. Clutching his head as he heard the other try to speak to him, barely registering his words.  Magic, power. Mirror. Shade. He's too far from the mirror. It wouldn't work.

Shadow tried to suck in a breath as he forced his eyes shut. He could feel an uncomfortable weight in his throat that he had no word for and he took another shaky breath. "Shade."

"What?"

"Shade, being in the shade." he repeated quietly, unable to elaborate as the field flickered once more, the ache in the back of his mind grew unbearable, and he blinked repeatedly while his hands clutched his hair, hissing and breathing heavily.  Blue frowned then pushed himself up, barely standing and his head pressing against the roof of this shield they had around them. "Then get to it!"

"Huh-"

"Use my shade, idiot!" Blue hissed as he struggled to move in the small space, pulling his hammer out. "Use it until you can get us  _ out _ ." Shadow blinked then nodded and sunk into the floor without another word, attaching himself to the hero. The moment the shadow slipped, the field flickered once more before breaking, shattering, and pushing everything around them away with a forceful blow. The sword clattered to the floor as the lynel tried to stand its ground.

They did share a few moments of eye contact before both glancing down at the sword then back at one another and in a moment, they both jumped into action, both reaching out to grab the sword.

* * *

Shadow didn't need to breathe. Not when he had utmost power.

But he didn't right now. Most of his magic was already spent, all to get to Vaati. He did get to see Zelda, who annoyed him when he tried to provoke her. She did slap him, he did  _ not  _ deserve it... He thinks.  Still. He couldn't tolerate Vaati. He provoked him, angered him. The audacity.

Shadow took a deep breath, he needed it  _ this _ time.

His eyes cracked open, he was back in a bundle of darkness he has long forgotten. He can't recall the last time he was attached to the hero. Physically, he meant physically don't get him wrong.

Complete white eyes glanced around. He couldn't hear the other. He couldn't hear a whisper from the other side of the coin. A life with silence, left alone with his thoughts as he floated in an abyss, that only served to comfort him, with only one crack to see the outside. As if he was stuck behind a mirror that showed him anything but himself.

Keeping him locked behind in a bundle of darkness. It would have driven anyone insane, to be alone, but this was his norm. An abyss that served to comfort him, even now in his most exhausted state the abyss managed to comfort and give him the support he needed.

Even after he got the chance to leave it behind, homesickness settled heavy in him. The chance he seized was worth it and he was brought to life, crowned the prince of darkness. Even after he was pushed into being the best of the best surrounded by millions and millions of Ganon's followers. S urrounded by overwhelming amounts of life and noise. It was worth it and the drive to keep rising up was worth it.

He didn't like it at the start. The life and noise, he lived a life void of such things and to be pushed into it without mentally preparing himself? Yeah... Too much for him. Then  he got  _ sort of  _ used to it.  Then he felt even more alone than he was in that abyss.

The very abyss he was back in.

White eyes shined for a moment as he floated, got closer to the crack in this abyss world. He felt whole, felt home, but he couldn't focus and linger too much on these comforts. Not when he watched the world on the outside continue to move without him.  Continue to fight without him.

* * *

It was a miracle he had such high pain tolerance, it's not the first time he was blasted away or smacked away. It did bruise his ego, but Blue didn't really focus on that.

The weird fetch match he played with the Lynel barely lasted a second as the beast held the hammer, that the hero still held onto for dear life, up and let out another roar, one that made him gag as spit flew in his direction and landed on his face. The sword clattered on the side.

He almost let go as the beast held the hammer over his head and got close, Blue's nose barely poking the beast's as their eyes connected once more. Glaring yellow eyes connecting with surprised azure ones and Blue felt sweat trail down his face as he grinned.

"Uh.. have you ever considered some mint? Gum perhaps? Maybe some mouthwash?" Blue grinned nervously and the beast roared, more spit flying in his direction. 

"I'll take that as a no— ACK—" his comment was cut off as the beast grabbed him by the collar and threw him across the field, sending him rolling. 

He wheezed as he pushed himself up, head spinning from the sudden throw as he tried to focus and look at the lynel.  He saw it glaring at his direction, its eyes fixed on him as it moved aside and Blue's ears bent down. He knew it was reaching for its sword and Blue pushed himself up with shaky arms.

Then he saw it stop and hold his hammer. Then he saw it-

"Wh— wait wait  _ waIT— _ " 

* * *

This was the weirdest fucking moment Shadow ever witnessed. What the fuck.

He saw the lynel hold the hammer with both his hands and then saw it break the weapon over its leg.  But that wasn't what concerned him. 

It was Blue's reaction.

He saw that man go through the five stages of grief but if you pressed on shuffle. Anger, sadness, bargaining, anger, disappointment, denial, anger, anger,  _ anGER- _

And Shadow could swear on God he heard some weird chorus in the background. He  _ definitely _ heard something and it sounded _bad_. It made zero sense to him to hear it, the only sound in this world, and he felt like a foreign character put in some weird dramatic romcom play and the main character just lost a loved one.

The loved one being the hammer.  Why the hell is he crying over a hammer?

He wants out. Oh my God, he wants to leave. What the hell, he did not sign up to this.

* * *

Even the lynel jumped, he heard the hero shriek and start to insult it. Even from afar, he could tell the hero was crying while insulting it.

The lynel's eyes darted from the hero to the sword then back, picking the sword up and then waiting awkwardly for the hero to end his mourning.  After five minutes of yelling, the hero's shriek turned into a coughing fit and it didn't know if it wanted to pat his back in pity or not.

Then silence.  The lynel saw the hero sniff as he regained his composure. Then they stared at one another as if whatever just happened did not exist. The lynel liked that they're ignoring whatever that was.

Then one hoof stomped once. Then twice.

"Dumbass, I could really use some magic here.." Blue whispered, hesitantly yet still prideful as he tried to keep a level tone. Even in the shade, Shadow was questioning his existence and if whatever he saw was his eyes messing with him.

Blue could  _ not _ believe what he was saying and neither did Shadow. The hero was actually trying to get the shadow to help him, but when the shadow didn't answer, didn't comment. His pride slipped just a bit and desperation made itself known. 

"Shadow,  _ Shadow _ —" he gritted his teeth as he watched the lynel aim for him and start its- run? Gallop? Whatever it was, he didn't care! It was just quick and he needed an out! Now! He could ask Vio later!  He  _ knew _ he couldn't outrun it. He  _ knew _ he needed a sword to at least cause  _ some _ pain. All he had was his  _ hammer _ .

His hammer that was now in broken pieces. His poor hammer that was there for him since the moment it entered his life.

Grief filled his heart at the thought of losing it. Grief and anger.

Blue's eyes widened as the beast charged towards him.

He is  _ definitely  _ risking it. He might get crushed, trampled over, but  _ maybe _ Hylia will be merciful and  _ maybe _ she will help him.

* * *

"What the hell." 

He watched Blue go through his grief in confusion and he kind of felt offended. Why the hell did he react extremely towards the hammer when he was suffering next to him and he didn't bat an eye. That was utterly rude.

Ugh! Whatever! It did not matter! His damn idiot was being an absolute  _ moron _ again! Why is he standing there? 

Shadow tugged on his pitch black hair, pulling it in panicked concern as he tried to regain  _ some _ of his energy. This stress-inducing idiot definitely made it harder for him. How can he rest for a few minutes when the hero keeps giving him a heart attack. He wondered how the other three managed to survive with him.

Then  _ those _ weird thoughts confused him. Why  _ did _ he get a heart attack any- oh screw that!

"Um, uh—" his eyebrows furrowed as he gritted his teeth, placing his claw-like hands on the one opening to the other side. "I'm  _ never _ living this down." he muttered to himself, he knew all he had to do was just move one step. Just one step and he could leave this abyss.

But it wasn't him that moved.

The darkness wrapped around him, around his arms and they pushed through that barrier.

It was the very darkness that surrounded him that moved.

* * *

The ground shook under him and he tried to keep his stance firm, he couldn't spare to focus on anything at the moment other than the beast that was fast approaching him.

Blue could hear his heart in his ears, beating rapidly as he tried to stay calm. Quick decisions were his strength, he knew what to do in a moment, and the tactic he was going to use is one he learned as a squire. 

They learned this. In one of their lessons, he never liked history. at least  _ Blue _ didn't see the appeal, what's the point in focusing on people long gone when you can focus on the now?

But that _one_ lesson stuck to his mind. That battle on the bridge.

Wait for it…

The beast was close.

_ Wait for it. _

He could feel the ground shake much more violently. He could see the pebbles around him bounce and shake from such force.

Wait and  _ then- _

Now! 

Split moment, step aside. A moment, he ducked under the beast's arm. One moment gave him more time as the beast continued forward.

He  _ thought _ at least.

The beast turned, instantly.

It was supposed to continue forward. He  _ thought _ it would be too much for it to suddenly turn. In a moment, regret rushed into him and panic overtook his mind.

It  _ wasn't  _ too much .

It aimed for his chest once more and he tried to move away, jumping away from each thrust and jab with fear. Each thrust filled him with anxiety, each slash made his life flash before his eyes once more, and saw exactly how bad it will go if he allowed one mistake. One slip up.

Then he slipped, a mistake he was bound to make, and he staggered back. He tried to keep his balance but didn't gain enough space from the beast. And he could see a small glint as the sword raised then the  sharp weapon slashed down to him and his arms raised to shield him and his eyes couldn't bear to stay open and instantly squeezed shut.

  
  


Then his legs stiffened, then he felt weight. Then he felt the sharp weapon come into contact with his arms yet felt no pain, just weight being pushed onto him, and his eye cracked open.

_ Then _ he noticed his shade came to life as wisps of magic swirled around his arms and legs. A thin bandage-looking layer of magic wrapped around him from the floor and its ends continued to move with life. Much like the end of Shadow's hat.

"Shadow?" he forced out through gritted teeth, he would have said more if it weren't for the beast.

Shadow didn't answer him, he couldn't spare to look at him to check. He  _ didn't _ have to, because the moment he uttered the other's name, wisps of shade, that looked very much like the ones that wrapped around him, shot out of the ground and to the beast. Thin enough to seem harmless, strong enough to wrap around its wrists, pull it away, and hold it back.

"I suggest you move now." 

Blue winced, he didn't see him yet he could hear the other's voice echo in the back of his mind. The odd yet familiar voice, that he couldn't differentiate if it was in his mind or echoed around him, gave him a headache.  He took in the fact that the Lynel continued to struggle against its binds, the shade still forming and wrapping around it as it continued to struggle and tried to slash through it with its sword.

"Uh.. yeah." Blue agreed, taking a step back and another before turning and bolting to the closest forest. He could hear the beast's scream and his ears bent down.

"How long have you been able to do that." Blue hissed, unsure if he's supposed to glance down or up or anywhere. 

"Honestly, just now. I did  _ not _ expect it to work." his voice echoed around him, Blue let out a huh as he took a sharp left and around the tree. He could hear his heart race and his legs wanting, needing, burning, screaming to give out and let him fall. Yet even if he did try to give himself a break, he couldn't. 

He  _ literally _ couldn't. With each step he took, wisps of shadows trailed behind, the same wisps that wrapped around his boots from the floor. Wrapping around his legs and giving a boost, a leverage of sorts. Ironic, as if the shade wasn't connected to him but it was  _ him _ that was connected to it. 

"You're weird."

"Not the time, mister 'I cried over a hammer'."

Blue's face felt on fire as he gritted his teeth. He almost insulted him. Almost.

"Shh. Hide."

"Wh- why?"

Deafening roar could be heard from a mile away and Blue could feel his heart in his throat as his head whipped around, searching for anything that could hide him.

" _ That. _ "

"I'm  _ trying _ —" Blue hissed, he could feel the ground shake under him and he wanted to move forward yet the grip around him tightened and held him back. 

" _ Dude?! _ "

"Wait I'm trying something."

Blue glared at the floor as he tried to move his feet, to shake out of the hold. "I don't think it's time to experiment shit, idiot—" 

Then the wisps grew lax one moment, relaxed enough to let him move again while still supporting him. "Go left, that tree."

"I don't thin—"

"If you value your damn life, then  _ Listen _ to me!"

Blue frowned then sighed as he ran towards the tree, rushing to it and almost stopping until he felt the wisps loosened once more and he  _ almost _ tripped before it came back with more force. The wisps tightened around his feet and it felt like he was chained to a metal ball until he felt the ground grow unsteady and he  _ thought _ that meant the lynel was close. Until the wisps grew bigger and formed around his feet, until they rose up like a pillar under him, giving him a boost to the very top of the tree.

"Shh."

Blue blinked as he looked down as if it was never there. The ground he stood on seeming innocent as magic dispersed.

He could hear the stomping and his breath hitched.  Then he saw it slow down and approach the tree and he could feel his heart race.  Then it stopped and he prayed to the Golden Goddesses to shield them.  _ And then _ , after moments that felt like forever, the lynel moved past it and continued walking.

Only when it was no longer in his line of vision did Blue realize he was holding his breath and a shaky sigh escaped him.

"Told you~"

He could hear him teasing and Blue didn't bother to argue. Too exhausted emotionally to humor this.

"Just.. get us out."

"Give me a moment, I'm trying."

The magic that surrounded him sunk back into the ground and Blue shuddered. The sudden weight being lifted off of him.

"So.. why lynels aren't..?"

"They're like dragons. I need to tame them.  _ Too _ much effort."

Blue let out a huff and nodded, slouching a bit.

He opened his mouth to ask again, to ask if they're going home again, but he got his answer.  In a way he did not approve of.

* * *

"ACK-" Blue wheezed as they dropped on the familiar stone ground. "A warning would have been nice you—" He paused as he saw the shadow drag himself out of the ground with too much effort.

"—Know..?" Blue raised an eyebrow at the sight. He never saw the other in this state, in this weakened state, he would always radiate this 'powerful confidence' that Blue never expected to  _ see _ such a sight.

The shadow was on the floor, his legs are still attached to the shade on the floor with only his torso and up 'physical' or so it seems at first glance. Blue could see wisps of magic around his body like smoke.

"Uh.. did you just die?"

The shadow flipped him off.

"Rude." Blue rolled his eyes as he tried to push himself off the ground, his legs burning as he let out a hiss. Yeah… he'll.. he will stay on the floor for a few moments more. Haha… yes.

"Shadow..?" The hero crawled closer, rolling him over and the shade let out a wheeze and shuddered. Eyes still squeezed shut. 

"I'm fine—" 

"Do I look like an idiot." Blue narrowed his eyes as he grabbed the other's arm and pulled him up into a sitting position despite the fact half of him was still a shade. "Do you need to go back to the shade..?"

Shadow winced, biting back a whine as he narrowed his eyes. 

"Why are you helping me— not like I  _ need _ it or anything." he muttered and the hero paused, his silence was quickly followed with a shrug.

"You're weird, but I like arguing with you." He shrugged and Shadow let out a snort then a tired laugh.  "What." 

"I grew on you huh?" Shadow smirked and Blue's eye twitched and he scoffed.

"Of course not. Why in the world would  _ that _ happen?" Blue hissed, his denial seemed to cheer the exhausted shadow up as he grinned wide.

"I dunno,  _ you _ tell me." Shadow hummed and the hero let out a groan. 

"I take back letting you use my shade. You don't deserve it." Blue hissed, Shadow snickered then winced and his hand rested against his stomach as he bit his lip.

"Ugh.." he noticed the other staring and instantly scoffed and avoided his gaze, mixed thoughts ran through his mind. On one hand, he wanted to tease and make fun of how the other denied 'caring' when concern was all over his face,  _ but on the other hand, the fact he is looking at him like that irritated him _ . "I'm fine." He repeated once more. He didn't know why he tried to reassure him but he did.

Blue blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You looked worried."

"I'm  _ not _ ." Blue denied and groaned when he heard the other laugh softly.

"Aw did little ol me warm that ice cold heart of yours?" Shadow teased as he poked the other's cheek and Blue swatted his hand and pouted.

" _ No _ ."

"Then why are you so  _ worried _ , hm?" Shadow hummed, ignoring the glaring daggers the hero sent his way.

"Because you're the only one who knows where my damn sword is?" Blue hissed and Shadow let out a long whiny sigh as he pouted.

"And here I thought you had a heart! So materialistic! How rude!" Shadow whined and Blue yelped when the other pulled him by the ear. 

"Ow!"

"You are  _ no _ hero!"

"Wh! I am! You little shit!" Blue hissed and then Shadow smirked.

"Prove it."

Blue blinked and then paused then flicked the other's forehead. "Oh  _ enlighten _ me, how should I prove it to you." He huffed sarcastically.

Shadow opened his mouth to tease, to give him some impossible task to annoy him. He opened his mouth but instead of words, he coughed and winced as he covered his mouth with his sleeves.  He could hear the other mutter curses as he patted his back. Eventually, his coughing fit subdued and Shadow almost smirked and teased if it weren't for the other cutting him off.

"Stop, not now. Go back to the shade." Blue hissed as he crossed his arms. "Are you really gonna stay in a vulnerable state with me? Who could and will kill you? God, you're so stupid." 

Shadow almost teased him before sighing. "No no."

"Why not?! Shut up and go!" Blue hissed and Shadow raised an eyebrow, grinning at the concern.

"Because there's  _ another  _ way for me? A better way?" Shadow stated and Blue almost went on a tangent and argued, instead he tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh..?"

"Mhm.. unless.." Shadow's grin widened, "Unless you _ want _ me to use your shade? Dang. I did not realize you wanted me around  _ that _ much, snowflake." He grinned and Blue did live up to his nickname as his face paled and his mouth shut and opened repeatedly before he gritted his teeth and yanked the other's hair.

" _ Shut up! _ Ugh why do I try with you! Little shit i swear—" Blue hissed as his face flushed red and he pushed himself away and tried to get up.  Shadow's laugh died down as he grabbed the other's wrist. "Wait wait, I'm just teasing!" He grinned and Blue glared at him.

"Well I don't like it."

"Okay okay, I'll stop then." Shadow smiled and Blue squinted his eyes, not trusting that smile at all.

"Just.." Blue started after a few minutes, "Tell me where you need to.. uh.. go to get that help thing." He muttered.

"Oh um.. it's.." Shadow hesitated, his eyebrows furrowed as he sighed. "I'll go to it myself. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours." He grinned and Blue narrowed his eyes, definitely judging his word choice.

"Just gotta.. separate uh.. one moment." Shadow hummed as he tried to detach himself from the shade on the floor, definitely struggling with it.  "One moment!" He repeated as he tried to tug and pull.

"Can't you go into the shade and I walk to it and  _ then _ you separate?"

"Well we could  _ try _ . But pushing out takes a  _ lot _ of effort so.."

Blue frowned then sighed as he pushed himself up, crouching then standing up. Shadow paused and watched the other struggle, watching him wince and grit his teeth before stubbornly standing up. He raised an eyebrow when the other extended both of his hands out to him but caught the hint.

Grabbing them, the hero pulled him up almost effortlessly, which made sense since he lost almost sixty percent of his weight. His torso was still attached to the shade though, it extended from the floor to where he 'stood' and Blue wanted to gag. It just looked so  _ uncomfortable  _ to him.

Wordlessly, Blue pulled one arm over his shoulders then pulled the other arm, Shadow seemed to catch the hint and awkwardly followed along and pulled himself up so that he was resting on the other's back.

"Just tell me where."

"Ookay—" 

He followed the other's directions. He recognized where they were, near the balcony. It was a familiar hallway. Yet instead of continuing straight, Shadow guided them towards the stairs.  Their muttering and insults were cut short as they heard a loud gasp and loud stomps. Both freezing as the chef hinox appeared and instantly picked them both up in a tight embrace.

"HYLIA DAMN IT FRED, CALM DOWN." Blue hissed while Shadow wheezed as the hinox hugged them.

The monster set them both down with a frown, obviously concerned over them. Blue gritted his teeth as he held Shadow awkwardly, no longer giving him a piggyback ride and instead just supported half of his weight as he tried to rest one arm around whatever his waist-shade body thing is while the other rested on holding the arm around his shoulders.

"Your uh.. prince is tired." Blue deadpanned and the monster looked down at him. Shadow only threw a peace sign with his free hand and a grin as an answer.  They could hear it mutter and rushed to the side, bringing soup and gesturing to it with frustration.

"I uh.." Blue blinked and Shadow laughed before shaking his head.

"I appreciate it, but I'd need the mirror." He grinned at the monster, ignoring the hero's confusion. The monster nodded and scurried off to a door twice the duo's heights and was about to open the door for them before pausing and glancing at the prince with uncertainty.

Blue was  _ sure _ they were talking behind his back. The eye contact and expressions made it clear they were. Eventually, the monster sighed and pushed the door open, picking up a torch and walking inside and igniting the other torches until Blue could see what's in front of him clearly, after his eyes adjusted to the light, of course.

The room was relatively empty. No window, nothing. Not even a carpet or any furniture except for one thing.

Across the room, a huge mirror. A huge, and Blue will call it  _ edgy, _ mirror that the hero wanted to comment on. Until he felt the other's nails dig into his shoulders and his gaze fixed on it. It prompted him to move forward, to it, and that made him hesitate.

"Why are y'all so tense—" Blue muttered as he moved and Shadow snickered and shook his head.

They stood right in front of it and Shadow moved his arms away from him, reaching with his free arm to it first and when his palm rested on the cool surface. He began to sink into it. Blue tensed up as he saw the shade connect to the mirror instead of him and shot the other a confused glance.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." Shadow teased, shooting him a smirk before disappearing into it as if it was a doorway. Blue glanced at his hand then to it then closed his eyes and reached a hand out to the mirror and when nothing happened, he pouted and crossed his arms, his face pink at the failed experiment.

Then his face turned red when he saw the monster staring at him with amusement. 

"What!"

Nothing.

"Oh screw off." Blue hissed as he sat down in front of the mirror, glaring at his reflection. He continued to stare at him and Blue gritted his teeth before yelling.  "I'm not  _ leaving _ . I'm not going back there. I want answers and you know I'll keep sneaking out!" Blue hissed, trying to sound threatening. The chef glanced down to him then hummed before walking off.

Blue squinted his eyes, watching the tall creature leave, and scoffed. He crossed his arms and stared at his reflection, he bit the inside of his cheek then grinded his teeth as his anger continued to build up. 

"Oh whatever." Blue pulled his legs to himself, hugging them as he rested his chins on his knees, humming quietly.

Then he frowned as the events of today played once again in his mind and he slouched. The temptation to get up and wander to search for his sword and book it were high, yet here he was with his legs aching from the whole ordeal and most importantly is the hesitation he felt. He was  _ sure _ the other placed some curse on him.

Then his world turned dark as something soft landed over his head, he pushed it away and looked up and saw the hinox grin at him and pat his head 'gently' and then nodded as a wizzrobe appeared next to him, definitely making him jump as it grinned and set down a tray filled with food,  _ Actual _ food, while the hinox set down a pillow.

"Er… you guys do remember I'm your prisoner right..?" Blue's eyebrows furrowed as he grinned nervously as the two creatures shared a knowing glance, the hinox laughed and the wizzrobe patted his head before leaving him alone.

"Uh.. thanks.. fellas." He shifted awkwardly as the hinox nodded then walked out, shutting the door behind him. 

".. weird enemies. Honestly weird enemies. I don't get them." He muttered.

Blue let out a yawn before poking his food, swallowing as he realized how hungry and exhausted he felt.

He didn't finish the food. Too exhausted to bite as he tried to stay up and wait for him. He did not realize that they actually stayed up for way too long until he started to drift between awake and asleep, dozing off and almost falling before jerking awake and glaring at the mirror.  Blue pushed himself off the floor, stretching as he yawned. His legs ached as he moved towards the pillow and the closer he got the more it became clear to him that it was probably the hinox's with how huge it was.

Too tired to question it, Blue settled on sitting on it and continued to remove the belt and boots and let out a huge sigh of relief at finally getting the chance to remove it.  Another blissful sigh escaped him, the sight of his crumbled tunic and hat being folded at least as neatly as he could possibly achieve comforted him.. and annoyed him. He needed to shower at some point. Until then, Blue settled on waiting for the other to pop up.

He didn't know  _ why _ he stayed there. He knew he would, so why linger?  He didn't dwell on overthinking it. Too exhausted as he rubbed his eye and waited. And waited.  _ And _ waited.

Until he felt his ear twitch and noises filled his surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. GOD I HATE FIGHTS... I do not know how they work and This isn't even the only fight (Unfortunately) and I'm suffering in confusion :,D (I HOPE Y'ALL KNOW I COPE WITH HUMOR and I turned the whole thing into a joke wth)
> 
> 2\. Speaking of jokes, ALL I can hear during the mourning of the hammer is a Kazoo cover of my heart will go on and all sad cat memes just fading in with blue hats. Blue is the sad cat meme. Anyway rest in pieces Hammer.... literally. Wait oh my god the first thing I ever kill off is a hammer what is this timeline oml.
> 
> 3\. Anyway stan Blue & His Hammer.  
> I need to name that thing ngl.


	5. Emotions are suitcases we would rather throw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE READ FIRST!! PLEASE-
> 
> Ok so, idk how people process things and idk if people have these triggers or if it's an uncomfortable topic BUT just to be safe. I will be putting like a note and like a horizontal line to tell ya that after it the chapter will contain:
> 
> \- Arguments/Fights  
> \- Brief/vague mentions of BAD childhoods (It's brief but enough to give you the idea.)  
> \- Family issues / Dysfunctional family  
> \- Self-esteem & Anger issues
> 
> I WILL provide a simple TDLR in the endnotes so you're not left in the dark, you could read it and if it isn't so bad go back and read it if you want. (I'm Not The Most Angsty of authors, tho I did try and I WORRY guys idk what are people's triggers!!)

Until he felt his ear twitch and noises filled his surroundings. He blinked as he tried to sit up, rubbing his eye as he let out a long yawn.

Then he noticed the other was back and was way too close for his liking, Blue frowned as he lightly, weakly, pushed his face away before falling back onto the pillow and turning his back on him. Whatever he said turned into a long string of lines he couldn't make any sense of.  Shadow almost snorted at that.

He didn't know how long he was gone, in that mirror trying to regain his power. He could estimate it was a few hours, so he wouldn't blame the other for passing out. Hylians are ever so weak.

What did catch him off guard was when he came back h e did not expect to slip out of that mirror with all his power only to hear snoring from the sleeping hero. He didn't expect to see him knocked out right there, the sight made him frown and almost scold the hinox for leaving the hero without supervision, how he could have shattered the mirror or done  _ something _ .

_ Then _ the wizzrobe said that he wouldn't leave and stayed put  _ waiting _ for him.  _ That _ surprised him. He did not expect the hero to stay waiting for him.

"Hey, Blue..? Hey-" Shadow poked him repeatedly and the hero did stir awake and sit up dazed for a few moments as he squinted his eyes.

"Morning, idiot." he grinned and Blue slowly closed and opened his eyes, opening his mouth to say something only to yawn and push the other's face away, muttering something about stupid and sleep. He raised an eyebrow at him as he sunk back into the pillow and fell back asleep instantly.

"Get up idiot." Shadow nudged him awake, poking his cheek repeatedly and tugging his arm, and the hero let out a whine before sitting up again and rubbing his eyes.

" _ Let me sleep _ ." 

Shadow raised an eyebrow at him, mostly amused with the sleep-filled tone and droopy eyes. If he had to choose what the sight reminded him, he would say of that bunny he found when he was walking through the woods when it rubbed its face.

"You'll sleep in your cell." Shadow reminded and earned himself a long "But shaaaadoooow-" whine from the still half asleep hero and fell back onto the pillow.

" _ No _ .. more comfy." he reasoned lazily, not further elaborating as he pulled the blanket and turned his back on him.

"Oh come on, get up!"

"Nooo- shut up.. I'm tired…"

"Blue dumbass I can't instantly use my magic to teleport your lazy ass!" Shadow huffed and tugged the blanket once more, he watched the hero curl up under the blanket. He frowned then groaned and grabbed the blanket, yanking it off with much more force from the hero that resulted in screaming and kicking his nose.

"OW- ASSHOLE!"

"Give me the blanket." 

Shadow shook his head, rubbing his nose and wincing. He definitely didn't have tears in his eyes from the kick. Blue's exhaustion was crystal clear, sitting up and staring distantly as if he barely could keep his focus on him or even keep his eyes open. Then he took the shadow by surprise with what he said next.

"Shadow  _ please _ . I'm  _ tired _ ." Blue whined, yawning and reaching out to the blanket.

"No."

" _ Shadow.. _ "

"What are you gonna do? Cry?" Shadow grinned and as quickly as it came, it fell when he saw the pout on the hero's face. "Wait no I wasn't serious—"

The hero refused to answer him, still pouting but no longer looking at him, just fiddling with his sleeves and avoiding his gaze. Then he heard a sniffle and the Shadow panicked.

"Wait wait! I wasn't serious! Holy- wai—" Shadow panicked and threw the blanket at the hero, covering him and for a few moments it was quiet and Shadow did not know what was more confusing, how the prideful hero seemed so close to crying or how he actually felt  _ bad _ for making him cry.

He did hope this would put a stop to the crying. Then he heard sniffles and a quiet whiny voice.

"I just wanna sleep but everything messes with me and the  _ one _ time I get an actual bed and you take it away from me." the hero whined.

"Er— you.. you can sleep? I guess?" Shadow offered with a nervous grin as he stared at the blanket. 

" _ I want to but I'm so so angry! _ " he heard the other complain and raised an eyebrow. 

"Angry?"

"Mhm!!  _ Everything _ is making me angry! This makes me angry! I'm mad! I want to sleep and I hate everything!" he complained, exaggerating a bit with each whine.

"Er.." Shadow scratched the back of his neck as he bit his lip. "Uh.. is there anything.. I can do..?" 

The blanket stopped shaking for a bit, then the hero's face popped up with a pout, messy hair, and glossy eyes. The hero judged the other's face, skeptical over it, then slowly whispered.

"Choccy..?"

"What."

"Choccy milk.."

"... do you mean _ chocolate milk? _ " Shadow raised an eyebrow, biting back a laugh as he stared at him with amusement and Blue nodded, still pouting and still so  _ so _ sleepy. He  _ hopes _ the hero remembers this when he's wide awake, if he doesn't..  _ even _ better he could just remind him.

" _ God _ , okay.. come on, you want chocolate milk right?" he saw the hero nod then continued, "Then we have to go to the kitchen. Come on, get up." Shadow helped the other pull the blanket off.

"Mm.. my shoes—" the hero whined as he tried to get up and grab them before the shadow pushed him back and grabbed them himself.

"Dumbass, just tell me." He scoffed and Blue nodded slowly as he tried to adjust and wear his shoes as slowly as a turtle. Shadow helped pull him to his feet after he was done. The hero winced as he stood up, muttering something about discomfort as he grabbed one of the corners of the blanket while rubbing his eye with his free hand.  "Okay come on- what are you doing." Shadow paused as he saw the hero pick up his folded tunic in his free hand while the other kept holding onto the blanket. 

"My clothes, I can't leave them there because then they would go missing and then I'll be without my hat and belt and it really sucks wh—" He heard the other mutter, his irrational concern made him snort and shake his head before grabbing the clothes as well. Pulling them out of the hero's arms and holding them himself.

"Wh..?" Blue blinked then stared at him with confusion.

" _ I'll  _ take care of them, come on." Shadow huffed as he carried the hero's belongings, he paused and looked back to see the hero follow him. Slowly, each step he took had him swaying and a hint of uncertainty as if he didn't know where he was heading.  Shadow frowned then let out a long exhausted sigh as he moved to hold the belongings under one arm and used his now free hand to grab the hero's wrist and guide him. "You really aren't independent huh?"

"Shut up.." Blue slurred out with a yawn, allowing the other to lead him as he dragged the blanket with him. 

Shadow rolled his eyes and continued dragging him through the hallway, he definitely noticed some of the guards curiosity that they quickly hid when they noticed he noticed them. Internally regretting it, he  _ knows _ this will be the latest gossip among the monsters. He just  _ hopes _ it doesn't reach Vaati, at least let him come up with an excuse why he's being so merciful and putting up with the hero.

They did reach the empty dining room, well..  _ almost _ empty. He did see some remaining talkative wizzrobes that put their conversations to a halt to address and acknowledge their leader with utmost respect. Respect and amusement at the little handhold that Shadow definitely ended and crossed his arms. 

"Tell the chef to—"

"Hot chocolate!! White chocolate!!!!" Blue cut him off with a whine that made Shadow pause and sigh while the two minions exchanged brief glances.

"Yes.. hot white chocolate.. go on!" Shadow huffed, ordering them and waving dismissively. He did grit his teeth at the little snickers he heard just before they left, then he glared at Blue who was still swaying and close to falling asleep right then and there.

"You're ruining my reputation." Shadow informed him and Blue blinked then frowned. "I'm sorr—"

"ACK NO STOP." Shadow hissed as he pushed the other towards the dining table, pushing him into the chair. "Sit quietly instead! God.." He huffed, gritting his teeth as he leaned back on the table and glared down at the sitting hero.

"Why are you like this?" Shadow frowned and Blue didn't answer him, instead, he pulled the blanket and 'folded' it on the table then rested his head, using the blanket as a pillow as he hugged it.  He let out a sigh as the hero slipped in and out of sleep, yawning every few moments and he finally took note the other had teeth sharper than the normal Hylian ones. 'Sharkboy' was all he could think of and that almost made him snort.

It appears to be that he was expressing his amusement externally rather than internally much to his displeasure, because he did see Fred's equal amusement directed at him rather than at the hero. Shadow took offense to that and pushed the hero's tunic and hat into the monster's hands, laundry duty was on tomorrow's agenda. 

He smirked at the frustration the hinox expressed and cackled when the creature stomped away. His stomping was loud enough to cause the hero to jolt awake and then sniff before a huge smile broke on his face at the sight of the hot chocolate, instantly reaching for it before Shadow held it away from him.

" _ Shadooow _ .." 

"It's too  _ hot _ , you'll burn your tongue." Shadow hissed and Blue let out a whine and buried his face into his blanket. It wasn't out of  _ kindness _ , he just didn't want to deal with a sobbing hero crying over his tongue. A sobbing hero that will probably be embarrassed by this when he's more awake.

A small grin twitched on his lip at that realization then glanced down at him and it widened. "On second thought.. here  _ Hero _ ." Shadow hummed and Blue's ears twitched up as he looked up, leaning back on his seat and reached his hands out, doing a grabby hands gesture that Shadow did  _ not _ know how to react to. Was he supposed to grin? Laugh? Frown? It was dorky and.. God forbid, Adorable? The fact he  _ thought _ that made him want to shudder and gag. But he did pass it to him and  _ waited  _ for the inevitable.

Except the inevitable never came. The hero managed to chug it down and give a satisfied sigh as he leaned back onto his chair, causing the shadow to question everything he knew. "Thank you." He grinned tiredly and Shadow cringed.

"Imma sleep now." Blue announced and Shadow resisted the urge to slam his face against a wall over how innocent and  _ soft _ the other sounded. It was  _ not _ something he is used to from the other. If anything he expected it from Red, then again he did note that those two are more emotional than Green and Vio. He  _ did _ notice and figure out the spectrum on who's most emotional being Red, Blue, Green, and then Violet, but he didn't want to  _ see this— _

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Shadow hissed as he sat on the table with crossed legs, gritting his teeth before grabbing his own mug and taking a sip. Definitely burning his tongue in the process. Definitely wincing and staring at it then at the hero, questioning how  _ he _ got burnt but the hero didn't.

"Geez.. well.." Shadow sighed as he waited for his drink to cool down. Snores filled the air and the prince of darkness rolled his eyes.

"Ayo, stay up." he poked him and Blue blinked and rubbed his eyes accompanied with a long yawn. "Okay, okay.." Blue hummed as he straightened his back and sat still, focusing on the other.. er.. focusing as much as he could.  "Good." he huffed, still glaring as he took a hesitant sip. Then he noticed the other's eyes on him and his frown. "What now. I said stay up, not pay attention."

Blue shrugged then yawned. "Just thinking.."

"What were you thinking of..?"

He shrugged once more and Shadow tilted his head in curiosity. "Nothing just.. Do you.. um." He played with the ends of the blanket, almost hesitant to speaking. "Do you enjoy serving him?" he asked softly, quietly.

"What." Shadow raised an eyebrow, his tone clearly sharp and it made the hero nod slowly and avoid his gaze. "I.. nevermind."

It weirded him out. The obvious concern on the other's exhausted face. It confused and weirded him out. He gritted his teeth then sighed and shrugged, speaking up and catching the hero's attention. "Working for them is all I've ever known. It's my duty. Very much like it is  _ yours _ to protect your land." the prince answered and for a moment it was quiet.

They could hear distant chatters and the flickering flames. Quiet and serene, yet it was loud. _His_ _thoughts_ were loud. Why in the world is he talking about this with _him_ of all people? Why is he asking him about this? 

Shadow could tell the other was in a similar state, that many thoughts rushed through his mind as well. His eyebrows furrowed and he narrowed his eyes. His hands were still, on his lap instead of fiddling with the blanket as he looked up and voiced his concerns.

"But what will happen to  _ you _ after that?" he caught him off guard. Shadow paused, set the cup down, and stared at the hero, judging his face and seeing not a single hint of mockery but rather all he saw was genuine curiosity without a hidden motive. 

"I mean I'm not concerned or anything but I don't see the.. gain? From this?" Blue quickly followed then paused and sighed, pushing his bangs up. "Like if Gufuu or Vaati, I dunno.. if he wins, he will take this land? Right? Or whoever is in charge, I guess.. they will take this land, right?"

A nod.

"Right, so.. then what will you do? What will happen to you?" Blue asked with a raised eyebrow, still frowning as he spoke up. "You said you're a prince yet here you are being a paw-"

"What's with the sudden concern." Shadow cut him off and Blue paused then shrugged.

He wanted to tease, a smug grin on his face as he messed with him. Yet all he could think of was the hero's cut off statement that he refused to acknowledge. He  _ knows _ his worth and he will rise up and above. Ganon will see all his efforts and it will  _ all _ be worth it and in the end he will.. he will make  _ him _ see his land fall before killing him. That's it. That's all this will ever be.

That.. that's it. That's the end of the road for these two and Shadow will latch onto that ideal inevitable outcome.

"I dunno I'm just lost..? I just thought it was weird." he hummed, "Like princes and all get treated with different standards, they get rules yeah but.." Blue trailed off and he noticed his hands began to twist and tug the blankets. Shadow opened then closed his mouth, scratching the back of his neck.

His eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't always a prince. That's not his origin, his backstory, or any of that. He wasn't born like this, he was born of magic. Brought to existence through magic.

"I mean I was pretty much living in solitude. I was only brought into existence to train and be your enemy." Shadow admitted, shrugging and shooting him a toothy grin that only faltered when he saw the hero process and frown at this statement then question it.

"Why though."

"Huh?"

He blinked in surprise as Blue frowned, asking once more with genuine hesitant concern. "Why be our enemy? Why do that." He asked again, surprising the other. 

They're not friends. So why is he asking this? Then again.. he wasn't as guarded right now, not in this state. It almost made him feel dirty, to use this situation to get through the other with his clouded mind and running mouth.  It was surprising to see him babble without a second thought, asking questions and talking without being guarded, without keeping his walls high.

The other always avoided being honest with his own thoughts and emotions. He was  _ always _ guarded when it came to his actual thoughts and emotions even though he was so easy to read. He'll give him credit for trying to guard them, he did try hard enough that if Shadow couldn't read expressions, he would have missed it.

He was trying to be  _ more _ closed off and distant, more than even  _ him _ . The hero only showed  _ one _ face. One side. Pride. Confidence. Yet, it was obvious that the other had  _ many _ thoughts running in him. Many diverse thoughts from the same origin, the same emotion that festered in his mind and soul. Guilt. He could tell there's a hint of guilt in him that kept seeping out behind that confident mask of his. 

Worry, guilt, anxiety. It was almost like the anger he expressed and the confidence he radiated were just a shield to protect himself. He could already guess exactly what he wanted to protect himself from, Shadow related to it.  He didn't want to be seen as vulnerable or at fault. It made  _ sense.  _ All the yells of being an actual good hero? That he makes no mistakes because he's the hero? All excuses he threw to cover himself and shield his status?

He knew  _ exactly _ what the other feared because it was the very thing  _ he _ didn't want as well. Failure. He refused to accept the possibility of failure.

Then he felt  _ sorry _ for him, he  _ knew _ the exact pressure of being the ideal.  _ He _ went through it. Except the only difference between these two sides of a coin was that Shadow had  _ long _ given up on reaching the ideal perfection, he went through  _ his _ definition of ideal and rose up. The only thing he wanted was that his efforts aren't dismissed, but he still continues to build up to his ideal.

_ Blue, _ on the other hand, still chased after that impossible standard. To be  _ the _ hero. The  _ perfect  _ hero that Hyrule will cheer for. He noticed how the other kept insisting that every mistake wasn't his fault and every success should be credited to him. He knew  _ exactly _ what the other's motive was and hours ago made it clear how fragile these thoughts and ideas are to him. That the smallest hint of questioning will result in defensive snappy comments.

The hero before him was so used to acting strong and being a pillar of hope that the idea of messing up definitely strikes fear in him and thus he keeps shutting it out instead of confronting it. He's a hero at heart. Always a hero.

Heroes tend to try to help others, to reach out to them.. which is ironic because only  _ now _ he could see the heroic trait the other hid behind thinking it was  _ weak _ to show. The vulnerability and concern. The instinctive need to help that he tried to scoff and hide.  The fact he even asked him  _ why _ he chose to be their enemy. 

Shadow frowned then sighed, "Just like you. You have your duty as a hero. And I have mine."

"Not really."

His ears perked up as he turned to focus on the hero, eyes wide and eyebrows raised while the hero nodded to himself and rambled on.

"We  _ chose  _ to be heroes. We aren't doing this because we were told to. We are doing this to save our loved ones." Blue paused then scratched his head.  "I mean.. it  _ is _ destiny I think.. so we were gonna do it anyway.. but.. we  _ chose _ to listen to it ya know..? Like uh, we  _ accepted _ that role. We  _ wanted _ that role. You know?" he grinned sheepishly then shrugged. "Duty just came along with it. But it's not the reason."

"I think." he quickly added.

"I.. see.." Shadow frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he processed what the other said. Trying to acknowledge his statements.

"So you can't use that. Tell me the actual reason." Blue spoke with a sing-song tone, he grinned up as he folded his arms onto the table and rested his head on top. "Why do you work for them? Don't you see they're only causing harm?"

Shadow opened his mouth to retort, to argue, but all he did was scoff and turn away from his gaze. "Don't talk about things you don't know of." he answered bitterly.

"You barely know a thing about my world. We were looked down upon by your kind. This.. this is what's  _ right _ ." Shadow spoke through gritted teeth, his tone so sharp that it could cut through anything. Then his glare turned cold as he glanced back at the hero with narrowed eyes filled with disdain and disappointment. "I refuse to be looked down upon by  _ you _ . I'll do  _ anything _ to prove that."

"Ah now  _ that _ ain't duty." Blue clicked his tongue and grinned, bright yet tired. "I still hate what you do and you." he started and Shadow was about to throw insults until the very next sentence cut him off and filled him with surprise.  "But your values are noble and I respect that." Blue admitted with a shrug, "Still hate you."

Shadow stared down at him with a raised eyebrow, surprised and conflicted. He  _ did _ still hate him. But.. the idea of being respected? Acknowledged?

The fact that the very person, who despised him and  _ he _ despised as well, admitted to respect him and implied that he noticed the other was gaining less than what he was giving out to his kingdom? That all his efforts and the lengths he went were acknowledged not by his own leader but by his own enemies? That even the enemy could relate and weirdly understand exactly what he is feeling?

It made certain thoughts spring up, each point pushed and backed them. Thinking of 'what if's and 'maybe's that he had no time to indulge in.

For a brief split second moment, he was hesitant on his ideal end goal. For a moment, he questioned if the end goal was  _ worth _ the trouble.

He knew it was best to push the other away and reestablish whatever enemyship they had going on and Blue  _ clearly _ still thinks they're enemies. Of  _ course  _ they are.

One night of them talking then helping each other escape does  _ not _ mean they're friends. Him staying up and waiting- not for him! He didn't wait for him! -does not mean they're friends. Him right now talking and saying stuff about how he  _ respects _ him and sounding so  _ concerned _ over his life does  _ not _ mean they're friends. The guy confirmed it! They aren't!

… So… Why is he  _ so _ hesitant..?

The hero definitely shed light on topics he  _ did _ avoid. He  _ knows _ that he isn't gaining as much as Vaati or Ganon even though  _ he _ is the leading force that supported their cause. He knows  _ they're  _ his leaders,  _ they _ brought him to this standard when he  _ wasn't  _ acknowledged. He owes them.. but.. it doesn't mean he is  _ ignorant _ .  He  _ knows _ that they only gave him life and free will because they wanted to use him. He  _ knows _ that the slightest mishap could lead to his downfall. He  _ knows _ that when his purpose is fulfilled, he will leave.

So.. maybe his purpose, this purpose, isn't for him. Maybe he could twist it. Change it. He does  _ not _ want to be just a 'pawn' to anyone. He  _ does _ respect his leader and appreciates it all, but maybe this duty he was handed isn't.. for him. Maybe he could rise _higher_. More above. Vaati  _ didn't _ acknowledge his worth. So maybe..

He scoffed and smirked, grabbing his mug and finishing his drink. "Of course. It would be awkward if you didn't hate me." he spoke into his drink in response to his claim while hiding the smallest hint of a smile behind that mug.  His comment didn't result in a reaction, other than Blue rubbing his eyes and yawning once more that made him roll his eyes.

"Sleep dumbass." he huffed and Blue grumbled quietly with a scowl and predictable denial.

"I'm not _that_ tired.. anymore."

"Sure, you aren't." he grinned then placed his now empty mug, noting the other was very much half asleep and definitely needed to get back.

"Get up, come on. Let's get you to your—.." he paused as he realized the hero did not have a room and that he was sleeping in a cell and he  _ almost _ felt bad for taking the comfort of sleeping on a pillow away. To be fair, leaving him in  _ that _ room alone is bound to cause problems they could have avoided so he  _ can't _ possibly take him there.  _ Although _ .. the lingering guilt and pity made sure that he can't just drop him in that cell. He  _ saw _ how close to crying he was when he was forced to get up and he would very much like to avoid  _ that _ . It was  _ too _ awkward.

He frowned then sighed. "The things I do for you, honestly a pain," he grumbled as he grabbed the other's arm and pulled him, pulling it around his shoulders much like how he held him a few hours ago.

* * *

Shadow knew he shouldn't already use his magic, but the thought of picking the other up and going somewhere that wasn't his cell with his minions being gossipy little shits? Yeeeeeah, he was  _ not _ in the mood to deal with them.  The surroundings shifted and the room disoriented, colors blending and twisting only to settle the moment they were in his room. Not too fancy, enough to have his needs met. 

Shadow let out a sigh while he guided the other to the bed, not like he uses it often. Just this once, he will let him in. Just this once. Just for a little bit.

"The things I do out of pity." Shadow grumbled as he threw the blanket over the other. A brief twitch of a smile when he heard the other whine and pull it off his head then curl up under it with a scowl. Even in sleep, he was angry. It amused him.

He'll just throw him back into the cell before he woke up, it's fine. If anything he could excuse it later on.

… That was the  _ plan _ at least, but it seems none of his plans seem to work lately.

He did hear a yawn and some cursing, he first thought the idiot was "sleep-talking" or something, but the shuffling told him otherwise. Shadow  _ thought _ they stayed for a  _ little _ bit. 

He glanced towards the window, the sun was almost gone. The skies colored in purples and blues and pinks, a little golden halo with some orange around the sun as clouds scattered across. He preferred the night sky a lot more but he will admit these colors were eye candy for him.

Though he had to acknowledge that they were here for way  _ way _ longer than he meant. It wasn't because he was being  _ kind _ to him. No, it was because he was so busy reading and checking on his 'work' to even  _ focus _ on him. That's all.

"Morning." he grinned while Blue squinted his eyes and glanced around before focusing back on him. Amused over the hero's demeanor, the scowl on his face and sleepy half-lidded eyes and his hair flying in all directions.  "I take it you slept well, Hm..?" 

"Where am I."

Shadow rolled his eyes as he went back on reading his papers. "My room, idiot." he hummed, his eyes glued to the paper in his hand until he heard hurried rummaging and looked up just in time to see the hero jump and fall off the bed unceremoniously.

Disappearing from his view with a thump followed by awkward silence only for it to be broken with a quiet undignified "ow." from behind the bed. Shadow blinked and raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you—"

"I'm fine!"

Shadow snorted as he watched the other's head pop up from behind the bed and him using it to pull himself up. "I'm completely fine." 

".. still sore from the run?" 

"Actually it's more of my arms." Blue admitted with a sigh, unable to deny it. "I can  _ still _ feel it." he continued, tugging on his sleeves.

"I could tell. You've been asleep the  _ whole _ day." Shadow hummed as he gestured to the window, the gradient sky that welcomed the night as the sun slowly set.

"Huh.."

"Yeah."

"Uh.. I'll go then—" Blue frowned as he shuffled away from the bed, awkwardly avoiding his gaze as he searched around. He did perk up when he saw his clothes _neatly_ folded on the side and face light up as he picked his hat up, Shadow smiled at that. Not like he could see it, it was hidden behind the paper he held in front of him.

"Or you can stay?" 

Blue paused at the offer and looked back at him, eyes dilated as he tilted his head and said a 'Huh?' in a quiet soft confusion-filled voice the shadow ever heard.

"Or you can stay." Shadow repeated with a more serious than teasing tone as he shrugged and set the papers down. Floating to him and his grin widening as he pokes his forehead.

" _ You _ —" he floated down, stood in front of him, and grinned, not commenting on how the other stepped back and rubbed his forehead. "Still owe me." 

Blue raised an eyebrow, still rubbing his head. "Huh?"

Shadow let out a long sigh as he sat down on his bed. "You did  _ not _ hear me. I wanted to talk. But.. I kind of want to address a thing." he hummed.  Blue's ears perked up and he crossed his arms, staring at him with judging eyes.

"Why.."

Why did you care? Why did you stay? Why did you say you respect me? Why did you—

A lot of different questions he  _ wanted  _ to ask. A lot of different questions that made him.. nervous? hesitant? No. No, he refuses to acknowledge that.

"Why did you stay?" he settled on that, to break the ice at least.  Shadow watched the other stiffen yet avoid answering him, avoid looking at him. He managed to note that this was a habit of the hotheaded hero, that whenever he hears something he doesn't want to hear he would either lash out or avoid acknowledging it.  _ This _ seemed the latter.

"I mean.. you could have left. As you said I was in a weak state. You could have literally just thrown me over the balcony or  _ anything _ ." Shadow trailed off and squinted his eyes. "But you didn't."

"So?" Blue muttered as he frowned. "You didn't kill me a bunch of times. It would look bad on me to see that the villain was merciful to the hero and the hero wasn't." he scoffed.  "No emotions attached. Just that." Blue huffed, defensive, and Shadow nodded slowly as he tried to keep a straight face.

The hero was never good at lying.

"I  _ see _ ." Shadow hummed and Blue's ear twitched and he gritted his teeth. He could hear the dismissal in his tone.

"What? Are you implying? You thought that I—"

"No no, I just didn't expect  _ you _ to stay waiting for me."

"What."

Shadow let out a laugh as he crossed his legs, his hand against his cheek while his elbow rested against his knee. He grinned as his free hand on his bed.  "You claim to not 'care' but you keep trying to  _ help _ me somehow. Why?" 

Blue opened his mouth then closed it and let out a groan and shifted in his place. " _ Maybe _ it's cause I'm a hero?" 

"I'm not a damsel in need of saving, hero." Shadow hummed with a teasing tone, grinning smugly as he watched the hero's face engulf in flames of embarrassment.

"What? No!" Blue's face flushed red as he glared, flustered over such an assumption and the very image that popped up in his mind made sure that the warmth in his face would stick for way longer than he wanted.

"Oh, of course not." Shadow hummed once more, "It's definitely the other way around."

" _ Excuse me— _ " 

"Uh? Duh?" Shadow grinned as he shrugged. "You're literally just a knight made out of glass. Always ready to fight but  _ always so close to perishing _ that  _ I _ have to protect. Really pushing it huh?"

Blue let out a groan as he crossed his arms. "I didn't  _ ask _ you to 'protect' me."

"So you admit that I do?"

"Wh— no.  _ No! _ I did not mean that!"

"You didn't deny it though~! Not until I pointed it out, hah!"

Blue let out a groan, irritated over being pushed into this situation while Shadow took joy out of every second.

"Ugh.. maybe." Blue mumbled, trying to get back on track. " _ It's because maybe I want to be the only one who should fight you _ ?" He tried as he pouted. "I'm the hero and you're the villain!  _ I'm _ supposed to be the one who pisses you off and shit! How can I do that if you're dead, dumbass?!"

Shadow nodded slowly then clicked his tongue. "Oh I see." He grinned, "You're jealous."

" _ What the fuck. How did you get jealousy from that?! _ " Shadow snickered and ignored him. "I mean you could have just said so." He continued and Blue wanted to scream, instead, he spoke darkly as he glared at him.

"You annoy me."

"That's my job." he stuck out his tongue at him. "Still, though." Shadow tapped his chin, "Why were you up waiting for me?"

He stayed quiet for a bit, carefully choosing his words without them backfiring. "I wanted answers." Blue huffed, his arms still crossed.  Shadow raised an eyebrow then let out a sigh as he scooted back and patted the bed, Blue blinked then stared at the empty spot then back at the shadow.

".. pass.."

"Suit yourself. You'll grow tired anyway." Shadow stretched and snapped his fingers, then a deck of cards appeared with a cloud of magic before landing his hands.  "Wanna play?"

Blue tilted his head and eyed it with suspicion. Shadow almost cackled at the hero's skepticism.

"Play what." 

"Uno." Shadow grinned and Blue's eyes darted between him and the cards he held in front of him. "Unless… you're scared to lose?"

He knew how to rile the other up, the exact buttons to push to get the exact reactions he was aiming for. His smile widened at the hint of competitiveness in those azure eyes as the hero quickly abandoned his refusal and shuffled to the bed and held his hand out without another word.

"So, lemme tell ya the rules." Shadow hummed as he flipped the cards over and showed him the colors and what each card meant.

* * *

"Agh!!! What the fuck!!" Blue yelled at the sight of the plus two card and accepted his demise with a pout while Shadow cackled, almost going to throw his last remaining card until Blue cut him off.

"Wait!" Blue hissed and Shadow looked up with a smirk. 

"Wait? What? You're gonna beg me to have mercy? Go on. Try. You'll only prolong the inevitable."

"No you idiot!" Blue grinned as he flicked the other's forehead. "You did not say uno! Draw two cards, idiot!" he reminded and Shadow paled then grumbled as he listened. 

"Now, excuse me. Ahem." Shadow rolled his eyes but grinned as he watched the other have a flicker of hope to defeat him and  _ almost  _ laughed.. that is until Blue opened his big mouth.

"Skip. Skip. Draw two. Draw two yellow. Draw two. Uno! Annnd any last words?" Blue smirked while Shadow stayed still, staring at his cards then at the one card in the hero's hand.

"... you're bluffing. you don't have anything." Shadow said with a nervous grin that fell as he watched the hero throw his last card. A draw four card.

"Checkmate." 

" _ This isn't chess, idiot! _ " Shadow shrieked as he watched the hero cackle with his arms raised up in victory, definitely seeing him wince and lower his arms slowly. Shadow rolled his eyes at that, a small twitch on his lips that was quickly covered with a scowl.

"Didn't you have questions?" Shadow grumbled as he organized the cards again, using his magic to shuffle them out of laziness. Preferring to change the subject than face his loss.

Blue's ears perked up and his cackle died down. "Oh uh.. ahem." He straightened up as he spoke with a stern voice that was full of distrust. "What was that." 

"Hm?"

Blue frowned as he watched the cards flip and fly around. "What was that." He repeated, still vague, and the cards stopped, hovering in one place, with the shadow's attention shifting fully on him.

"That mirror. What is it."  Blue saw the other tense up and as swiftly, the cards disappeared and they sat crisscrossed across one another, mirroring each other.

"It's.." He watched the Shadow hesitate and his hat twisted. He could tell a million things ran in his mind and Blue frowned.  "It's.. not something I want to talk about." Shadow muttered, eyes downcast as if he hesitated to look at him, and Blue nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Shadow tensed up, eyes finally looking up to meet the other's. "Okay..?" He repeated with uncertainty, as if he didn't trust the other's tone.

"Okay." Blue shrugged, "I can definitely tell it's something important. I could  _ tell _ I have to get rid of it." He shot him a toothy grin and Shadow blinked and his mouth formed an 'o' as he nodded slowly.

"You.. confuse me." Shadow frowned, eyebrows furrowing as he crossed his arms and lowered his gaze once more. Blue's grin fell as he watched the villain sink into a mess of thoughts that he tried to untangle.

"Why are you telling me this? Why not act like you don't know better? Why flat out tell me you will get rid of it?" Shadow frowned as he shifted in his place. "Why are you  _ so hellbent on defeating me yet willing to sit and wait for me when you could have left? What made you wait when you could have ended it all? So why. _ "

Blue opened his mouth then paused and scoffed. "Maybe it's pity?" he paused when he saw the other's clenched jaw and half-lidded eyes that were filled with fury and he quickly continued. 

"Maybe not. Maybe I just did what I wanted. What are you gonna do about it? Bitch and moan?" he spat with a smirk and Shadow rolled his eyes.  All the 'nice' things he thought were quickly set on fire and thrown away with each word Blue let out of his mouth.

Yet,

Foreign weight heavy in him that he never actually experienced, never actually went through, resided in him and he  _ needed _ to get rid of it.

He wants to get mad, he truly does. Every ignorant comment Blue threw at him, at  _ them _ , frustrated the shadow and he  _ needed _ to end it one way or another. He let out an annoyed sigh and gritted his teeth.

"Nothing. Just.. What is your logic? Do you ever think of anyone else?"

"Of course I do." Blue rolled his eyes, "My whole purpose is  _ for _ someone else."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at that statement. "If it is, why are you so prideful." he challenged.

"Excuse me?"  Shadow frowned as he sighed. "You say all of this is 'for someone else', but what  _ I _ see is you trying to put up some  _ bullshit _ to look good." he hissed and Blue paused for a moment then talked in a calm yet threatening voice.

"Don't."

"Hm?"

"Who are  _ you _ to judge?" Blue questioned, his gaze never leaving the shadow, still glaring as he spoke as coldly as his heart. At least, Shadow  _ thought _ it was cold. It's really telling when even the supposed-to-be villain thinks you're cold.

"Who are you to judge?" He repeated, "You don't know  _ shit _ . I told you. I'm good. I'm transparent to everyone and I flat out say what's on my mind. I  _ did everything right _ . All to save Hyrule. To save  _ her _ ." He hissed.  "I  _ did everything right. _ It's not  _ my _ fault the rest don't catch up. It _isn't_ about 'pride'!" Blue claimed, pushing the blame to the others.

Shadow noticed that pattern, he would see the hero push every flaw onto everyone around him and take credit for every good thing. If he has  _ nothing _ to push the flaws and mistakes on, he would avoid acknowledging it. He  _ noticed _ this trend and it confused him.

* * *

**This is where it starts**

* * *

And..

It irritated him. Annoyed him. Frustrated him to the point he wanted to pull his hair and scream. 

Why did  _ he _ get to have this life?

Shadow gritted his teeth as sparks of jealousy lit whatever he has as an equivalent of a heart on fire.

Why did  _ he _ , the ungrateful self-absorbed hero that did  _ nothing  _ but cause chaos between his  _ own _ team, get to live freely and be looked at with respect yet  _ he _ , the shadow who tried so  _ hard _ to fight and do whatever he learned that's right, was the 'bad guy' or the one that's pushed aside? Why was  _ he _ the one accepted when he was much  _ much _ worse than him?

That… thought confused him. He did _not_ want their approval. He didn't _need_ their approval. He didn't need anyone's approval. Not Ganon, not Vaati, not them, and certainly not from _him_.

So why was he so mad? Jealousy. It was jealousy. The envy he directed towards Link slowly shifted towards the hero in front of him, not like his target changed. It just became more.. focused.

"You  _ confuse _ me. You say you're a hero yet you act like an asshole to your  _ own _ team." He huffed, his voice steady yet clearly unstable as hints of anger made themself clear on his face and in his tone.

"You say you're better than  _ me _ , but only do shit for the benefits, you keep saying you're good but sound so.." Shadow gritted his teeth as he glared up at him.  "You're an asshole." Shadow repeated, baring his teeth. "You're so- so  _ full _ of yourself. So  _ stupidly annoying _ ." 

Blue's wide eyes narrowed as a scowl formed. "I'm  _ not _ full of myself. I'm just saying the _truth_." he scoffed and Shadow let out a laugh out of disbelief.

" _ Yeah sure _ . You know what?" Shadow frowned and Blue raised an eyebrow. "You want to know what  _ I _ saw?"

"Yeah sure bet." Blue challenged, unamused with the other. The red-eyed prince didn't waste a moment and familiar smoke wrapped around them. Then they're back in that room with the mirror. He watched Shadow get up and quickly followed suit, standing up in front of it.  Blue raised an eyebrow and Shadow crossed his arms as he turned to face the mirror and for a brief moment he needed to blink, not believing his eyes as the reflection flickered and changed.

"While you  _ slept _ . Your  _ team _ reunited." Shadow stated next to him and he saw them, all three of them around a table talking with a map spread out in front of them. He couldn't hear a word yet he could see the conflicted emotions they all radiated as Red circled a few locations while nodding and glancing to his shoulder. He didn't even  _ notice _ the little fairy that accompanied them, small and weak with her flickering light, completely forgotten about her.

"You keep saying you're better. That  _ they  _ need to catch up." He hummed with crossed arms, refusing to take his eyes off the mirror. "Haven't you noticed the reason  _ they _ aren't progressing is because they're searching for  _ you _ ?" 

"What about it." Blue raised an eyebrow and Shadow could tell exactly who the hero's gaze focused on. "This just proves my point. They know they _need_ _me_."

"Idiot.. you can't give up on this huh?" Shadow gritted his teeth as he glared at the mirror. "If I was them, I wouldn't bother to."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"I  _ mean _ you're a piece of shit!" Shadow hissed with crossed arms as he turned to face him and the hero mirrored him, glaring back and scowling.

" _ Guess this proves exactly how different we are. _ " Blue muttered then shot him a toothy smug grin. " _ We _ are a team. Something  _ you _ wouldn't know of."

"How come then you don't trust them?"

His ears perked up and for a moment he saw confusion and denial in those eyes. "What..?" 

Shadow's nails dug into his arms as he frowned. Then a bitter smile formed as he narrowed his eyes and stared at the hero. "You keep saying shit like they need you. You keep saying you're better and need no one."

"But you keep falling and almost dying. Hell! You died in that ice!  _ I _ saved you! So are you saying that you don't need  _ their _ help but need  _ mine _ _?_ The enemy?"

"What— no.  _ No. _ " Blue denied and Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Then  _ why _ do you keep being an  _ asshole _ to them? To everyone?"

"Look I don't care.. about what you do.." Shadow bit his lip then sighed. "But it's so.. stupid. So fucking stupid. So..  _ Ungrateful _ ." 

"How am I the ungrateful on—"

"Don't you see how good you have it?!" Shadow cut him off with a yell and the brief glow in his eyes made the hero bite his tongue for once.  "You have  _ people _ who look  _ up _ to you. You have  _ people who trust and believe in you _ ." the shadow hissed then scoffed. " _ Even when you're such an asshole to them. They _ are still trying to find  _ you _ ." 

"Do you realize how they don't  _ have _ to do that? _Especially_ for people like you?" the purple-haired shadow frowned.  "Yet even when you act like an asshole to them. Even when  _ you fought with them _ .  _ Multiple  _ times. They are  _ still _ trying so hard to be with  _ you _ ."

Blue's eyes narrowed, every word he uttered struck a— no not struck, cut. 

It didn't feel like a pile of bricks falling on him. It wasn't that. It.. It stung. 

That's the word he was looking for, it _stung_.

It was small, something others wouldn't blink twice for. It was something that isn't noticed by others yet certainly felt painful to the prideful hero. He was  _ good _ . He  _ believed _ that.

Yet.. seeing them again. The reminders? The moments? The times he raised his arms against them? The arguments and eruptions of fights?

It stung. It  _stung_ and _burned.._ not because Shadow was the one who brought these statements to light, no.

But because Blue knew deep down he didn't want to hear them. He knew at his very core that he did not want to hear what the other had to say on this or to listen or anything. To keep deflecting and avoiding it, turn a blind eye.

"So?" Blue scoffed and grinned, crossed arms as he looked at the mirror, but they both knew that confidence was just a shield to hide him. They both could see how forced his grin was.

"So?  _ So?! _ Is that all you have to say?!" Shadow let out a short-lived laugh that was full of sarcasm as he nodded and said "oh okay" repeatedly while raising his arms up in defeat.

"Yeah so?! It's not like—"

"Isn't this what caused  _ Link _ problems?"

Blue froze, still as a rock as the shadow stared at him with dark eyes. He almost opened his mouth and dismissed this. Almost. He couldn't dismiss it.

"Link.. had issues with teamwork, didn't he? He had problems working with others to the point he even had issues with his own father. His own dad, that  _ cried _ when he thought he died." Shadow stated then his gaze shifted to the mirror and Blue followed.  "Link split into four. That idiot of a counterpart split into four and.."

"All I'm seeing in front of me.." Shadow gestured to the mirror, " _ Three _ heroes who work  _ so well _ together…"

Blue eyes filled with denial and red eyes filled with bitterness focused on the mirror, three heroes huddled and nodding to one another, hero clad in purple patting the red one's shoulder, who slumped and sighed while the green one rolled up the map and spoke to them. 

"I see  _ they _ get along.. but when it's with.."

"Don't." Blue hissed, cutting him off. Shadow frowned then sighed.

"Just admit it." he hummed, almost challenging him. 

"Admit  _ what. _ "

"Admit you're not as 'good' as you keep—"

"I  _ am _ ." Blue denied and for a moment they were both quiet. "I  _ am _ good. I know I am."

"Blue, please for the love of all that's fair, admit it." Shadow hissed and he could see the hesitation in the other's eyes, blue eyes that stayed focused on the mirror, on a specific hero clad in green.

Blue gritted his teeth and Shadow could see the anxiety. Anger and anxiety, anger  _ fueled _ by it. "Oh oh I see. I  _ fucking _ see." Blue snarled as he glared at him.

"Is this what you do? This is how you attack people?" Blue accused, jabbing a finger to the other's chest and Shadow stared with confusion.

"What? No—"

"I  _ heard _ you. I sat  _ with _ you. I didn't even  _ attack _ you or make  _ fun _ of you talking about  _ your issues _ ." Blue hissed, breathing growing unsteady. "And you have the  _ gall _ to turn around and bring up  _ mine _ ?"

Shadow tensed up at that. That last statement. It didn't fly over his head and it seems Blue caught on to it because he scoffed and looked away. Crossing his arms as he stepped away and glared at the mirror. He opened then closed his mouth.

"Blue listen—"

"I don't want to." he couldn't just  _ hear  _ the hesitation, he could see it. The uncertain wary from the possible consequences if he listened. "I don't. You're wrong. You were always wrong, oh my Nayru— and here I thought you‐ Ugh.." Blue muttered.

Shadow could hear the uncertainty in his voice, conflicted over what to say or how to react. It is a suitcase he didn't want to open. As he glanced back from Green to Blue, watching him glare at the mirror then turn his back to it.

"I don't want to talk about  _ this _ bullshit, not to  _ you _ ." Blue hissed as he turned, stomping away.

"I'm  _ just _ trying to help."

"Are you hearing yourself?!" Blue hissed, glaring at him as he turned to face the shadow. "Listen, I  _ don't _ want your help. I  _ didn't _ ask for it. And if you fucking  _ think _ about it, we are  _ enemies. Enemies! _ Just stuck for a short while together."

Shadow tensed up at that then scoffed and crossed his arms. "Of course I do." he answered. "I just thought if  _ you _ would be my enemy, I'd rather have you be actually challenging. It would be way more satisfying then." he continued bitterly and Blue gritted his teeth.

"I  _ am _ challenging! I can definitely kick your ass and I don-"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Shadow cut him off. "Just because you think you can do  _ anything _ by yourself does  _ not _ mean you get to yell and shit!" he hissed as he gestured to the mirror behind him that continued to flicker and illuminate the room.

"You should be  _ grateful _ . I'm giving you a  _ reality _ check! Most people don't even bother!" he yelled at him, "Do you think  _ they _ would put up with your bullshit for  _ all _ your life?" Shadow hissed.

"Just think about it!  _ Link _ grew up under his  _ father's _ care but even his damn  _ father _ couldn't talk to him! Don't you see how tiring this is?! Oh, strike me down for trying to help you!" 

Blue didn't know which was better to look at, the shade whose yell grew louder and louder or the very mirror that continued to flicker and change behind him. Shadow didn't see it, he didn't know if it was on purpose but he saw the hero stiffen and his eyes wide and gazing into the mirror behind the shade. He could tell the mirror changed, he doesn't know what it changed to but it did respond to his words. He could get a basic idea of what it displayed, he didn't really care as the colors that flickered out of it continued to change and flow around each other as it changed.

"Do you know how selfish you are? How ungrateful? Have you thought of how _lucky_ you are?!"

" _ I _ didn't get that.  _ Many _ of us didn't get to even have a normal childhood _. _ Or even a  _ healthy _ home." Shadow heaved as his hands clenched, nails digging into his arms.

"You wanna know what I had?" Shadow hissed with exhaustion as he glared back at the still hero. "Unlike  _ Link _ . I wasn't meant to exist. I was brought to life just to work for  _ him _ , for Ganon. I was brought and lived under his guidance.  _ Everything _ I know. I learned. From  _ him _ ."

He never liked talking about it. He didn't  _ try _ to think about it. But everyone knew of how much pressure and burdens were put on the shade, especially how they were all heavy with every disappointed comment and dismissal he received from  _ everyone _ . He knew by being  _ the _ weapon, he had to be sharp and precise and  _ never _ fail. He'd rather keep forcing and struggling through it than ever facing  _ his _ wrath. Even if it broke him down to weariness, he couldn't afford it.

"Do you know the control he had? I had  _ no _ freedom. If I spoke out of turn I'd face  _ actual _ consequences." Shadow sighed, he couldn't say it all but the very thought made him want to slip into the floor and hide for a short while. His king was never the merciful type. 

" _ Link didn't. _ Your guardian  _ wasn't  _ harsh on you.  _ I _ would face backlash for even  _ breathing  _ wrong or  _ looking _ the wrong way. I didn't even  _ get _ a normal childhood." 

Blue could hear how forced every word he spoke as if he could barely even open his mouth to talk even if it was brief. The sight, the mirror, his voice, everything tugged and pulled his heartstrings and tied them into uncomfortable knots, knots that were tied to guilt that made his heart feel heavy and uncomfortable. He wanted him to  _ stop _ . To stop  _ talking _ , it's clear both of them are uncomfortable talking about this. 

His jaw clenched as he tried to stay composed, stay contained and quiet with a look of bitter anger. Yet the weight made it  _ hard _ to do so, it wasn't just guilt. Blue knew everything he said was  _ true _ and he  _ hated _ it. The mirror just served as a lie detector and all he saw were flickers of his and the shadow's past.

And the very thing that made it clear he felt guilty towards not just his own team, the captain but also the very prince before him is the subtle wish that he would stay looking towards him instead of looking back to the mirror. He  _ knows _ it will keep flickering and showing things the other  _ didn't _ want to see, even though he felt uncomfortable with the icy glare directed towards him he didn't want him to look back at these memories.  _ Talking _ is difficult enough,  _ seeing _ is… seeing is going to break things he did not want to see broken that's for sure.

"I was in comfortable darkness and then I was pulled into a world that didn't even  _ accept  _ me as anything but a tool  _ then _ I was pushed into a world that didn't even  _ acknowledge _ me." 

"And _you_.. you got _everything._ _Every fucking thing_. That clearly you don't deserve. I mean _come on_. Just count it, everything. You got it without even _working_ for it. It was just handed to you on a silver platter!" Shadow's grin widened and Blue didn't answer back as he walked over to the hero. Watching him glare back and usually he would step back or away, yet this time he stayed still.

"So when I say, you're a selfish piece of shit. An ungrateful ass. I wasn't  _ just _ saying it." he hissed as he poked the hero's chest. "I  _ know _ that and I'm pretty sure so does everyone else. Except for you." 

"Just.. goodnight. I don't care if you even try escaping. Clearly it wouldn't make a difference." Shadow muttered as he walked out the room, leaving the hero alone with the mirror that flickered once more and for a moment he saw the three heroes he fought side by side with  _ and _ with.

Then he frowned as he glared at the mirror and when it faded away and he was left with his own reflection, his breath hitched. 

He..

He already knew what Shadow said, it almost made him laugh. It was different hearing it out loud, harder to deny. It was different when it was internal, he could shut it down and ignore it with ease. Telling himself, comforting himself, that it was only lies. Whispers from the calamities and malice around him that were trying to slow him down. That having these thoughts could mean he wasn't worthy to be their hero, so he ignored them and kept an act to show that he can't be taken down, built a pillar for him to stand on and show that he  _ is _ good enough.

But he didn't realize that pillar put his head in the clouds, he didn't realize that pillar took him away from the down-to-earth humility.

It was different now. Not when the hero heard it out loud. Not when he saw the actual frustration from the shadow and the flickers of their past that continued to overlap and change from the mirror. Not the fear that was struck into his core when he saw a brief glimpse of the king and especially not when he saw the captain's exhausted disappointment directed at him eerily similar to the disappointment the king had towards the shadow. Not when he saw the pressure and consequences they both faced and how different it was between them, how overworked one was while the other left with a simple warning.

The very thought of the captain's disappointment along with the frustration of his own team was enough to get him to acknowledge the lump in his throat.

The very realization he didn't  _ get _ to apologize made guilt weigh much heavier and the knowledge that they are fully in the right to refuse his apology made the room feel cold.

It didn't help. This didn't help. It only— he needed to leave.

Not to escape, would he even go to them? They're already disappointed in him and if he came to them with the knowledge that he lost not only his weapon but also his sacred sword? This will only push and fuel their already existing disappointment. Instead of acceptance, they will probably be rightfully angry, maybe throw some comments under their breath that he  _ knows _ he will lash out to even if it was  _ true _ . He  _ knows _ he isn't in control of his emotions and.. he didn't want to face that. Didn't want to go, apologize, and then revert back to his old ways. It scared him, it genuinely made his skin crawl at the realization that if he apologized and by the mercy of Farore they actually forgave him, if he did lash out after that then they probably wouldn't believe  _ any _ of his future apologies  _ even _ if he meant them.

That.. that scared him. He couldn't afford this. He couldn't afford to mess this up and lose anything that's left of whatever their weak bond was.  No, he needed to leave this room, he'll figure out where to go later. He needs to  _ think _ . To figure out how to move forward and get  _ better _ .

He scoffed and left the room, hands clenching and unclenching as he stormed through the hallway. 

It didn't work. It wouldn't work.  _ Apologizing _ wouldn't work. Not if he didn't actually  _ improve _ ..

And if he did and they.. they  _ accepted  _ it. If they  _ forgave _ him. Did he _deserve_ it..?

This made him pause and he gritted his teeth, did he deserve it? Certainly not.. he knows he doesn't and he knows that everyone else thinks the same. The mere chance that they would was slim and irrational.  He doesn't deserve it. He fought and stirred chaos, if anything it was  _ his _ fault they split up. It was  _ his _ fault they lost their sacred weapon. How would the heroes before him look at him? He was supposed to be a good example yet all he did was screw their legacy over.

How would they talk about him in the future? If they lose? Would they pin the blame on him? If they win? They _would_ talk about how _ he _ was the embodiment of the hero's struggle and turn it into some poetic antagonist bullshit that he didn't want tied to his name. 

He wanted to be  _ so good _ that he didn't even  _ realize _ that by that obsession he hurt not just the people around him, loved or not, but also hurt himself. He basically stabbed himself in the foot with this, he will probably be the example people use to describe what happens to heroes who get  _ too _ full of themself.

Or maybe a reminder that even heroes have flaws. As nice as it is to know even heroes were beings with flaws and are normal, the very thought of  _ him _ being used to talk about his  _ flaws _ and to ignore everything else he stood for made his blood run cold. He could feel a ghostly hand wrapping around his heart, closing in on it as his mind continued to dive deeper and deeper into the malicious thoughts he tried to kick back.

His ear twitched and he could hear heavy stomps, blinking rapidly as he rubbed his face and looked for a way out, he didn't want to see anyone right now. Not like this. Especially not by creatures who will probably inconvenience him by not leaving him be. 

He rushed to a door across the hall, a huge heavy door that he never really noticed for all the days he spent here. Pushing it with all of his strength and quickly shutting it behind him, the hero slid to the floor with a sigh before taking in where he was.  A huge dusty library, it was probably the next one that the wizzrobe will clean. He didn't really focus on the state any more than that, not when the books reminded him of the other hero he continued to argue with and he let out a groan as his guilt rose up.

He could already  _ hear _ the remarks he would throw at him. Could he even apologize? Could he swallow his pride and apologize to all of them? Captain? Vio? Shadow? Green?

… could he..

Could he apologize to Red?

Blue bit his lip then frowned. He knew the most emotional among them would forgive him, the guy cried over a monster he barely knew a thing about other than it wanted to kill him. He's the most compassionate of them, most sensitive, and the reminder that he didn't even  _ care _ to hesitate when he fought with him felt like a knife twisting in his gut. 

The very memories of how he got aggressive with him, with Green, and with Vio made him pale. Even the shadow didn't attack his own team or anyone else unless he had to.

Blue frowned, his eyebrows furrowed at the realization.  _ Even _ the shadow was a better person than him and says a lot for a guy who was actively destroying his land. Blue frowned, hair standing on end as every statement repeated in his mind. 

Say he did apologize and they forgave him.. would he even  _ improve? _ Is there any room for him to change? To be better? Or will he  _ always _ be the hero's worst traits? Is that all he stood for?

He  _ wanted _ to be good. He.. he wanted to save Hyrule, to save Zelda.. that's good. He genuinely wanted to sit with the shadow and offered to listen and he  _ hopes  _ to God that no one knows but even he acknowledges deep down that he actually  _ wants _ good for the other. He did  _ respect _ his persistence and drive, it takes a  _ lot _ of guts to come to this strange new world that could actively hurt you in many ways. He  _ has _ some good virtues and he  _ knows _ it.

But.. is he still seen as the flaws of the hero? Is he  _ still _ seen as the bad side of the hero? Will that be all his fellow companions and all his world see him as?

His breathing turned unsteady and his mind raced and clashed with opposing thoughts. Then he realized how he lashed out at him for pointing these things out to him and the weight on his shoulders got heavier.

He's a good guy. A good hero. He meant  _ well _ . He _only_ meant  _ well _ . He didn't mean for  _ this _ .

His eyes stung as one statement echoed in the back of his mind that seeped through the cracks of every little unstable hope he clung to.

But good guys don't hurt others. Good heroes  _ don't _ do what he did. Good guys don't attack  _ loved _ ones, they don't do things for the 'honor' or so. They do the right thing because it's just that. It's the  _ right _ thing.

If anything, the shadow was more of a hero than him.  _ He _ was striving for his goal because he believed it was right, even if he disagreed with him. He will admit the shadow is the hero of his own story. Blue..

A hard pill to swallow, but..

Blue knows he isn't a great hero. He isn't on the same level as the ones before him, hell he isn't even the same level as his own companions and that made him… bitter.. a little envious.. and exhausted as a thought crossed his mind.

The very thought of meeting the older ones? The ones before him? What would they say about his state? How disappointed would they be? How disappointed are his loved ones?

Did.. did he let Zelda down? Did he let them down? Is captain disappointed in him?

A bitter laugh escaped him that choked on and let out a sound that he tried to cover up with a cough.

He did. He _knows_ they would be disappointed. Zelda will be disappointed in him when she hears of how he treated the others. He knows he deserves her disapproval and he knows that the captain will only look at him with exhaustion, that he will remind him of every single issue Link became.

He  _ knows _ Vio would be bitter, they never really got along and he always threw remarks his way, more often directed at him than the rest. He  _ knows _ Green will be bitter and avoid him because of his inability to talk calmly, they always argued. And he never thought he would accept it, but he misses the hugs Red gave him and knowing he doesn't deserve the other's kindness only fueled the bitterness in him. 

Every hero had many challenges and the thought of  _ him _ being one made his heart sink. He's a good guy. He wants to be a good guy. He will prove he's a good guy. He  _ has _ to. He owes it to them. To be: A good hero, a good teammate. A good  _ friend _ .

But the question is…

Is he capable of such a thing..? And.. does he deserve a second chance..? Or will he screw it up again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H. I tried. I rlly did ngl. I actually had to rewrite this three times.
> 
> Ok so the endnotes!!
> 
> Basically what happened is: Blue and Shadow fought over how Blue got EVERYTHING but took it for granted. Shadow pointed out how Blue didn't treat his team well and how he is basically everything that people had issues with when they talked to Link. They did fight and Blue basically got a reality check that if he didn't get his shit together then he Might Get Left Behind and felt a lot of guilt towards his team, captain, and zelda. He did see how differen't his and Shadow's lives were and vague implications of Shadow having a rough time being forced into being the best weapon. How bad/rough is up to interpretations ig. Anyway Blue has a lot of guilt he's trying to deal with instead of ignore now :,D


	6. "My day be so fine then boom I'm dead-" - Blue Link probably because seriously he do be perishing a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Expect some canon typical violence in this chapter- I think. I Don't Know Man-

Every creature in this tower could sense it. The awkwardness and distance between the hero and their prince. 

Fred was annoyed by that, he was losing his bet with Joseph Son Of Jack Son Of Jake. He never loses this is horrible-

_ Anyway! _

The two monsters had a running bet. Fred very much supported and liked the little hero and said that the guy will be exactly what their prince needed.

Joseph said that child is a little shit and will only cause destruction and the duo fighting will be inevitable.

_..Guess who is winning.. _

He  _ definitely  _ suspected that he was a liar, but the sight right now is telling him otherwise. He did try to nudge food to the hero, who shook his head and avoided eating by playing and poking it, as if his mind was elsewhere and that  _ concerned _ him.

It concerned him, them, that the hero wouldn't bother eating or throwing a comment or any of it. He even purposefully gave rockhard food just to get him to  _ say _ something! They  _ did _ assume he was sick but he assured them it wasn't that and tried to cover it up by talking about anything. He never knew such a tiny thing would have that much space for air to talk for  _ that _ long, yet here he was rambling and went on multiple tangents in one solid breath that almost impressed him.

_ Then _ he noticed the difference. He would can up instantly the moment their prince walked in and the awkwardness when they talked was  _ unbearable  _ to the point Fred had to excuse himself while the wizzrobe bitterly went and erased their names from that chalkboard his little group had. Something about a score system on who would be the best "ally" between the heroes they called it.

It was  _ uncomfortable _ . None of them enjoyed the awkwardness they radiated as they danced around each other. Neither wanted to fess up either, Fred tried to nudge them to talk but  _ nooo _ because when they do it's awkward and short with little effort from either parties.

One of the monsters suggested to push them into a locked closet before getting their head smacked by one of their friends as Fred reminded them that one, they could teleport out, and two,  _ one is their  _ **_prince_ ** _ what the hell do you mean lock him into a closet at least give him a room- _

Another suggested near-death experience before getting a freaked out answer from a minority group of them because surely that  _ isn't _ what needs to occur huh?

Another suggested giving their prince an apology letter and saying it's from the hero and… Well..  They did go with that.

Until Shadow looked down at it then back up and reminded them Blue clearly didn't know their mother tongue language. 

They… they forgot he didn't… oops.

Their last resort was this. To send out the big guns while combining a few other suggestions they scratched off. 

They called Vera the Deku Scrub. Now you would say that bringing a wooden creature to the tower of flames is a  _ bad _ idea, and it is! But! They did borrow one of the recipes of elixirs Blue taught them and gave her  _ way _ too many of them! They did change a few things but it is what it is!

Now, why did the monsters choose them? The answer is because they are the  _ youngest _ among them, certainly, his hero tendency would get him to be protective over the creature. Now they waited as the Deku Scrub waddled down the hallway, waited for the guards to open the gates for them, and walked into the dining room.

"Mister Hero, sir!"

Blue tensed up, no longer poking his food as he looked to the side then down and came face to face with glowing yellow eyes and pointy grass-looking plant on their head as their twigs tugged his pants as they babbled once more with their high pitched voice.

"Uh.. hello..?" he blinked, looking around then back to the little creature. "Dear Farore.. you're not supposed to be here." Blue whispered when he caught sight of the Deku Scrub, he heard them repeat the same title over and over. It did confuse him why a  _ plant _ was  _ here _ of all places, that creature certainly didn't belong  _ here, _ it will  _ die _ , that definitely made his worry skyrocket.

"Uh.. yes.. plant thing?" he answered, getting off from his seat and crouching down to be in eye-level, and the creature giggled as they let go of his pants and stepped back. He watched them twirl and poke their wooden index fingers shyly as they stammered. 

"Um mister hero um— I mean! Prisoner! What are you doing outside your cell!!" the creature huffed as they crossed their arms and glared. "His Majesty won't be pleased to know this!"

Blue opened his mouth then closed it and the creature sighed. "Did you forget your line..?"

"Uh.. yes..?" he grinned as the wooden monster groaned and facepalmed. 

"Hero you're supposed to act like you're our enemy! Remember! Get your act together!" they whined and Blue's eyes widened before he nodded.

"Oh  _ no.. _ you caught me, kid. Take me away, you foul beast!" he went along, his frown twitching upwards when he heard the little giggle the creature tried to hide. 

"Mhm!! Follow me, her- prisoner!"

Blue snorted but did as he was told, following the little creature to the door. "I'm Vera, for your information. Remember the name!" they hissed and Blue nodded.

"Alright,  _ Vera _ . What is your rank? I'd like to know."

"My rank..?"

"Yes."

"Um.. uh.." the creature scratched their head and Blue could tell they were getting overwhelmed as they tried to figure out what answer to give.

" _ Oh hold on, _ I know you!"

"You do..?"

Blue nodded as he scooped the creature up into his arms, grinning. "You're the chief leader of the sacred woods, aren't you?" he claimed and the Deku Scrub blinked before nodding.

"Oh! Yes! Mhm! So you better listen to me!" 

"Of course. I'll listen with respect!" he snickered as he carried the little creature for a bit before stopping. "Wait, why are we acting..?" he asked, breaking character to end his confusion over this little charade game they played.

"Hm? Oh. I wanted to join the game you two play." they chirped and Blue tilted his head in confusion. "What game..?"

"The game where you and his highness act like you don't like each other but very much do..? Isn't it obvious?" 

Blue blinked then let out a loud laugh as he held the creature in one arm and used his free hand to wave in dismissal. "Ah— no no no. You got it  _ all _ wrong."

"... Oh you're the in denial type Oooh.. I see."

Why are children so blunt?! Where is the filter?!

"I'm  _ not _ ."

"I feel sorry for his highness." Vera admitted as they nodded and Blue continued to stare with wide eyes and a nervous grin.

"No no kid, you got it all wrong." he tried to argue and the creature let out a long sigh and shook their head in disapproval. "No, you got it wrong, mister!"

" _ How— _ "

"Are you seriously arguing with a child..?" 

They both jumped at the new voice, he quickly set the kid down, almost embarrassed from being caught soft. They both had opposing reactions towards the prince's appearance. The Deku Scrub bowed in respect while Blue tensed up then scoffed and crossed his arms.

"I wasn't."

"He wasn't, your highness." Vera nodded then sighed, "He was just denying the truth we all know."

".. what truth..?" Shadow blinked and Vera opened their mouth before Blue laughed out loud and spoke way too loudly that it caused them to flinch from it.

" **_Unimportant!!!!!_ ** Shadow.. hey er.. what brings you here..?" he grinned nervously and he could see the disappointment in the plant's eyes as they scoffed. Even Shadow raised an eyebrow at his question,  _ but you can't blame him! He panicked, okay?! _

"I can't believe you." they mumbled as they walked past the prince then spoke way too loudly. "He's just denying the truth that he likes you!" the Deku Scrub announced, leaving behind a bewildered shadow and an embarrassed hero.

"What the hell is wrong with your minions?!"

Shadow opened then closed his mouth and answered him with a shrug. Predictably, his lack of an acceptable answer made the hero scowl and roll his eyes. "Of course you would say that." Blue grumbled over it and, as they all expected, the hero tried to walk out the room only for the door to refuse to budge. 

"Is this your idea of a joke?" he gestured to the locked door and Shadow shook his head and shrugged again. "God I can't  _ stay _ here. Open this door." Blue ordered, the mere idea of being stuck with him in this ever so awkward environment made him wish he could just melt into the floor instead of acknowledging this disaster.

"Um, no." Shadow hummed, refusing to follow his command, and Blue let out a bewildered laugh. "Why  _ not _ ..?"

"I thought you didn't want my help." Shadow stated, his tone a mix of pettiness and teasing, and Blue let out a groan at that.

"Open it." 

"...Fine, on one condition."

"Ugh.." Blue made sure to show his annoyance towards the prince and his stupid games. "What is it?"

Shadow's grin was enough to cause him to hesitate on hearing him out. Not when those red eyes had a mischievous glint. "Tell me, hero." 

Folding his arms behind his back and shooting him a toothy grin. "Is there something you wanna tell me?" referencing the older conversation, he knew he was referring to the kid's announcement.

" _ Don't _ start. God don't start." Blue mumbled and when he noticed the shadow wasn't convinced by it, that he still had that satisfied grin. "I have  _ no _ idea what that Deku Scrub was talking about!" he huffed, defensive.

"Alright alright, no need to get riled up." Shadow laughed it off and Blue huffed as he leaned back on the door.

"Are you  _ sure _ you don't w—"

"Drop it." Blue hissed and the prince let out a long sigh, his amusement replaced with irritation. As  _ nice _ as it was to hear the comment and see the hero try to deny it, he was starting to miss provoking him, the reminder of their last actual talk served to make him bitter once again.. bitter and a little guilty as he wondered if he was  _ too _ harsh on him.

Blue grew impatient, the shadow still didn't move to open the door. He raised an eyebrow at him and tapped his foot. Then his tapping slowed down as he revisited the memories he tried to shut out and bit the inside of his cheek. He could sense the other was equally as awkward, they both didn't talk about  _ emotions _ and all. His ear twitched and he heard the door unlock.

"I guess I'll be leaving now.." Shadow announced with a shrug and Blue blinked. "Where are you going."

"Well, since Vaati is being a.. long series of non-family-friendly insults and…" he paused for a bit and stared at the hero, " _ everything _ —" he narrowed his eyes at him, Blue could tell he was exaggerating and the everything was actually one thing and the one thing is actually  _ him _ . The realization made him avoid his gaze.

"—is pissing me off. I'm going to commit war crimes." Shadow continued with a shrug but despite the calmness of his tone, Blue could see the twitching hint of a frown and anger radiating from him as he looked back at him, his eyes widened at the sight of the magic that started to materialize.

"W-wait!" Blue blurted out and mentally cursed himself, for one thing he didn't want him to commit destruction but for  _ another _ thing he..  _ really didn't want to stay stuck with him it only made him think of those things he kept kicking away— _

"Hm..?"

"No.. you aren't." Blue stated and Shadow raised an eyebrow as he scoffed, grinning smugly. "Oh? You want me to stay after  _ avoiding _ me?"

"I  _ wasn't! _ " Blue shrieked as he crossed his arms, he  _ totally _ did avoid him though. They both did it though so Shadow isn't off the hook, talking was  _ too _ awkward for both of them.

"Why not then? _ I have a reputation to keep _ , you know?" Shadow stated, his irritation growing, and Blue stuck out his tongue and shook his head.

"No, you aren't— not because I  _ want _ you around!"

"Oh, enlighten me, then. Why not." Shadow crossed his arms while Blue scowled and huffed. The little added comment at the end of his statement only pushed the shadow's frustrations. Of  _ course _ not, it would be silly to think otherwise.

"There _got_ to be something _way_ more worth your time and effort than _war_ _crimes_." Blue excused.

"Hero, I  _ oh so appreciate  _ you saying I got something better to do, but I technically gotta go cause some disaster or I'll never hear the end of it from Vaati." Shadow stated, he tried to say it with a grin on his face but Blue could definitely sense the venom in his voice with how he uttered the demon's name.

"Disaster you say..?" He shot him a toothy grin, Shadow tilted his head. "I think.. I got an idea for that." He stated and before the shadow could argue, the hero kicked the door open and yelled at the two guards, something about preparing the saddle and dragons.

They glanced down at him then at their prince, who shrugged and waved in dismissal. All equally confused by what the hero was planning.

* * *

"Shh— you'll get us caught." Blue hissed as he led the dark prince through the temple gates, closing the door behind him while Shadow raised an eyebrow. Both tensing up a little when the torches lit up on their own and the creatures scurried away. Creatures tried to attack them before taking note of the prince and backing off in confusion as he waved them off while the hero got distracted by the pure joy he felt at the sight of pottery.

He was mostly surprised why he chose  _ this _ temple of all places. The dark temple that was built inside a hole in the mountain.

"You know? I did  _ not _ expect this from  _ you _ ." Shadow admitted as Blue rushed to the pottery, definitely had a little skip in his walk as he trailed behind the giddy hero.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Blue hissed, looking up from the pot he held in his palms.

"Destruction of property? Such vile acts, hero." he teased and Blue stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry.

"It's  _ not _ . Besides, this is just an old abandoned temple.. it's not like it matters anyway." Blue excused.

"Meh, details."

"Anyway!" Blue ignored his dismissal and gestured to the pots. "There are many pots here."

"Mhm..?" 

"And you definitely need to destroy things so…" Shadow watched the other hold the pot up and shoot him a toothy grin. "Target practice. I'll pick them up and throw them.  _ You _ have to destroy them with your magic. Got it?"

It was simple and Shadow wanted to snort in amusement over how that was the other's definition of 'disaster'. To destroy  _ pots _ . Although he didn't argue. 

Blue waited for him to bail or reject his suggestion. He didn't, at least the small flickers of magic that grew bigger around the other's hands told him otherwise.

* * *

This isn't what he usually likes to do. He  _ doesn't  _ do these things, what is considered 'fun' for the other simply  _ isn't  _ for him.

Yet here he was, anger turning to giddy with each pottery he blasted into bits and pieces of all sizes, almost forgetting why he was angry in the first place. He did notice the ruppees that dropped from them and glanced to the hero for an explanation.

His shrug did  _ not _ help.

"Come on, throw the next one!" Shadow grinned, jumping from one foot to another as his energy continued to build up. The excessive energy that needed an outlet.

Only for his excitement to deflate when the hero announced that there aren't any more. "That was.. the last of it." Blue admitted as he grabbed the ruppees between the broken pieces.

"At least we got money now." he shrugged.

"Aw what!"

"Yuuup.." Blue hummed and Shadow frowned, disappointed. He hoped that he could do  _ more _ , to use this as a distraction, but now that it ended his mind drifted back to his still present frustration that needed to be contained  _ or _ let out.

"Damn." he sighed then whined, "But I still have so much  _ energy _ ." he tried to get the other to pay attention to him and give him a solution, instead he was grinning as he examined one of those gem currencies they have and let out a huge sigh.

"Very well I guess I'll just have to—" Shadow started with crossed arms and Blue's ears perked up as he focused on him instantly.

"Woah there, no crime." Blue hissed, "We just vandalized some historical temple."

"Eh the pots come back anyway after like… a day." Shadow excused, another thing that the heroes never really acknowledged until now. He was a little annoyed it  _ had  _ to take a day, though.

"Wait yeah.." Blue's eyebrows furrowed then he grinned nervously "How the hell does that work anyway.."

"Game logic." Shadow informed, Blue frowned at that.  "That makes no sense.."

Shadow ignored his confusion, his hands rested behind his neck and he turned to leave, if anything Nebula was probably there waiting for him.

"Well, still I'll just—"

He paused. Shadow raised an eyebrow at the hero that slid into view and stood between him and the door with arms spread out as if he was trying to stop him from leaving.

"Duel me." Blue suggested and Shadow blinked, tilting his head in surprise.

"What."

"You said you have a lot of energy. Fight me." Blue suggested and tensed up when he saw the other take more steps towards him. Anticipating for a fight only for the other to make a beeline around and continue.

"... You missed the point I want something actually  _ worth _ my time other than this.. I humored you long enough." Shadow huffed, his back to Blue as he reached for the door. It wasn't actually 'worth' his time, it was more of his irritation building up and he  _ needed _ to set something on fire  _ now. _ The moment he stopped getting giddy over destroying the pottery, his irritation came back full force and the hero's refusal to leave his space  _ wasn't _ helping.

Or he was..? Blue did notice his anger, it was one of the.. oddly many things he could relate to. He paused before shooting him a grin that he knows the other won't see.

He hesitated, last time he gave a suggestion it almost resulted in the shadow suffering and the hero needing to help him to save them both. Yet the guilt that festered and needing to make amends wouldn't let him be. Not now. He was so  _ close _ . He can't just leave  _ now _ .

"Oh..?"

"Yeah."

"I see." Blue paused then gritted his teeth, hesitation obvious before he spoke up words he  _ knows _ will annoy the other.

He  _ knows _ anger and he  _ knows _ the other wants to go lash out his frustration onto his home. He  _ knows _ what's the source of his anger and.. he wanted to direct it away. He bit his lip in a state of anxiousness before speaking up.

"Here I thought you're not that much of a coward that hides behind magic, disappointing really but expected that much from  _ you _ ." He huffed and looked to the side with crossed arms, avoiding his gaze. And he waited, and waited, and  _ waited for him to lash out _ .

But he didn't.

He was met with silence, awkward silence that made the other sweat before opening one eye to look at the shadow and saw him staring back with disappointment.

"I don't benefit from fighting you." Shadow informed before trying to leave once more.

"Coward." he heard him try to taunt, trying to push his buttons and each comment grew more confident. "Coward weak little shit."

"Shut up."

"I was even gonna suggest a  _ bet _ over it."

The shadow's ears perked up and Blue grinned, the suggestion of a prize caught his attention. "Mhm.. a bet."

"What did you have in mind..?" Shadow raised an eyebrow, looking back to him and Blue tapped his chin.

"Well, if  _ I _ win. I would like to have my sword back." Blue grinned and Shadow's eyebrows furrowed at that. It made him wary, uncertain. He knew it was  _ too _ risky, but..

"Okay but.. what will happen when  _ I _ win..?" Shadow raised an eyebrow, his wording made the hero's grin fall.

"Oi,  _ if _ you win. Not when." he corrected and Shadow shrugged and muttered 'same thing' under his breath, "Er.. your question though… I guess.. that's the beauty of it..? You get to decide."

Blue shrugged and Shadow blinked, staring with surprise at the thought of being given a  _ chance _ to decide for himself and he  _ knows _ that the hero knows how  _ stupid _ it is to give him  _ that _ . For all he knows, Shadow could say he wants him to set the world on fire! Yet.. the hints of deception weren't there, the hero knew fully well how risky it is to give him this.. or he really was that dumb. 

"Ah.. then.." he started, he cringed over how awkward he sounded. It's not that he was awkward, he just wanted to hold back and not show how  _ giddy _ the idea of getting the freedom to choose.

"Deal." he bit back his laugh at the sight of the hero's delight, good to know he wasn't the only one excited even though it was for different reasons. "You annoy me." Shadow stated, shaking his head, and Blue grinned as he shrugged.

"Part of my charm." He stated with a wink that made the other scoff, sounding more amused than disappointed, and two swords formed. One the hero caught and with matching confidence, a grin on his face.

* * *

"OI- that's  _ still _ cheating!" Blue hissed as he jumped back, a burst of magic flying past him. Close enough he could almost swear it left a mark on his face.

It didn't but he's still dramatic. It  _ did _ leave a mark on another place, his sleeves did catch on fire and they extinguished it in mass panic, other than that it was mostly cuts from the sword. He  _ will _ need to sew it back together.

"You  _ still _ didn't state any rules, hero." Shadow stuck out his tongue and Blue gritted his teeth as he mentally blamed him for not giving him time to state them in the first place. Despite the fact he was mostly doing this to get the other to feel better- Yes, it's him trying to apologize don't call him out he is  _ trying _ over here! -and avoid causing any more destruction to his land.

Swords slashed and pressed against each other, His palms sweaty from exhaustion yet the adrenaline that flew in his veins from getting to fight again and the equal competitiveness from the other made sure to keep pushing him. The hero grinned, both backing off with a jump. Heaving as he watched him. His hands ached and he could tell the shadow felt some form of exhaustion as well.

"Don't tell me it's over now eh?" Blue teased with a huge grin, ignoring the sweat that trailed down his face and how heavy his breathing was. Shadow's mirroring smile answered him. 

A dance that continued to quicken and slow down with each thrust and jab. One thrust and the other jumped away. One blast of magic and the flames around them flickered. A dance that neither of the competitive duo would back out of and continued until one would swallow his pride and yield.

Slash after slash, thrust after thrust, barely giving each other time to regain their energy as they continued to impulsively fight that when their swords pressed against each other and their faces were close enough that they can feel each warm breath that they would slow down and spend it with peace as their chests rose and fell. Exhausted grins with sweat trailing down their faces and for a moment wild red eyes would lock with competitive blues and a smirk would parallel between them.

He caught on to the trend, every fight he was in had some form of a pattern, and by the time he kicked him back, in his stomach, he knew a blast of magic would be directed his way and the flames around him would flicker briefly.

Except they didn't.

Not briefly, at least.

A blast directed his way as expected and in the nick of time, he avoided it and was ready for the flickers to start only for the fire around him to blaze up too brightly that he had to close his eyes and then quickly die out one after another as if a gust of wind blew them out and left behind smoke.

His grip on the sword grew tight as he tensed up, ear twitching as he waited for the shadow to attack him. He didn't and Blue's guilty conscience served to make his concern very well acknowledged and he was about to call out to the other, ask if something is wrong or if he's okay or if the magic was too much. If he needed help..

_ Then _ his ear twitched and he stiffened. He frowned, his eyes darted around in the dark abyss he stood in.

Then he turned.

Then he was met with a wide smile, the rows of sharp teeth shining in front of him.

_That_ didn't scare him, but..

As his eyes drifted upwards and connected with the creature's.

The lifeless eyes that glowed in the dark definitely made his heart skip and almost shriek.

* * *

The sudden darkness was a surprise. Was the blast of magic too strong? He almost felt bad for it.

Er.. more of tiredness though, he knows Blue will use this against him and will say that it's his fault. Well, to be fair it  _ is _ but he doesn't have to accept it.

His ears twitched and he heard the sword clatter to the floor shortly followed by a loud thump. 

"Blue..?" 

he didn't like how  _ concerned _ he sounded. The clear hesitance and hopefulness in his voice made him want to punch himself.

Eyes white turning slit, blinking twice until his vision adjusted to the darkness. Then he froze as he saw the hero's fallen body and the sword next to him.

Then he felt it, guilt, and his breath hitched. No longer clinging to his prideful mask, sword dropping as he took off flying towards the hero and rolled his body over.  _ That's  _ when it confused him, when he settled next to his fallen body.

There isn't a single hint of harm on him, surely he dodged that blast then. No scorch marks or anything of that sort.

Except for one thing. One small detail. The twisted hints of pain all over his pale face and how his fist clutched onto his collar weakly while another over his chest, palm pressed over his left side. And he wanted to shake him awake, to whisper and hope that  _ maybe _ just talking could wake the hero up.

But before he could, a familiar voice spoke above him. His head tilting upwards and panic turned to surprise and he  _ hates _ to admit it but the hints of anger bubbled as he gritted his teeth. Annoyance..? Righteous anger? Close.. possessive? No, no. Ah.. protectiveness. He dislikes that. He very much prefers going back to  _ not _ knowing why he's so angry. 

"Shadow." the poe hummed as some torches lit up once more, the farther ones flickering back to life as the monster floated further away.

Grey and white eyes connected and the big poe could tell he wasn't focused on him. He could tell the shadow's eyes flickered towards the little glowing orb in his claws, the little flickering blue orb.

"What are you.."

He could hear the dread in the shade's voice, the amused glee he felt at hearing the hesitant anxiety that slipped through that anger the prince showed.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you stalling? Surely, you can and could have ended him a long time ago." the poe asked and Shadow gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"We aren't— he's  _ hostage _ . Prisoner." Shadow hissed and he could hear the mock in the poe's tone.

"Oh?" 

It made his eye twitch and he scoffed, salt and disgust clear in his voice as he spoke. "Obviously someone such as yourself isn't bright enough to tell." he hissed and regretted it when he saw the poe's claw closing around the small orb and he could almost hear it crack a little.

"W-wait. Don't." Shadow frowned, cursing himself for losing control over his panic. "He's our  _ hostage. _ Killing him won't help us when we can use him." he tried to convince and he prayed that the other will let go of his hold around that orb of life. That fragile orb of life.

"Does Lord Vaati know of this?" he asked and Shadow's anxiety grew, his silence answered him. "I see."

"This is  _ such _ an important detail." the poe stated the obvious and Shadow sighed. "I know." he froze and gritted his teeth. "I.. just.."

"Just give it back." he kept his eyes on him, terrified that if he didn't react quick enough will cause it to shatter or worse. 

He watched the poe ponder over it and the silence he waited in served to agonize him. The tension as he focused on the flickering light that he  _ knows _ will hurt him. The poe frowned and Shadow's eyes stayed trained on him, refusing to blink as he waited for any rash decision the creature would choose and mentally prepared for every possible outcome. Then he nodded and relief washed over him, like water pouring over flames of anxiety.

"Very well, on one condition." Shadow swallowed as he waited to hear him. "You must inform him."

He tensed up, his jaw clenched as he agreed with a nod, the poe knew exactly how anxious the prince was, it only fueled his ego and the urge to destroy the soul became more and more tempting.

"Very well, although out of  _ mercy _ , I'll give you a day to inform the Demon Lord." the poe nodded and let go of the soul. Watched it fall and Shadow's panic finally broke out as he rushed to catch it, he cursed him in every language he knew and hissed as the light it radiated burnt his hands. 

He wanted to drop it, the burning pain hurt him. He turned to the hero's fallen void of life body, floating to it with the burning soul in his hands and for a moment he stopped.

It burnt. Burnt too much. He frowned as he let go as soon as they were close. It flew back into its rightful place, puzzle piece that he needed to put together.

"How did you know..?"

"People, creatures, all beings talk." the poe answered, watching the shadow who sat down next to the hero. "One way or another, news would reach Lord Vaati.  _ I _ will make sure of it." 

And with that he disappeared, but he couldn't care less over what the poe said. Not when he was on his knees and his eyes were slit as he focused on the hero's face twisting and took in every detail, every hint that answered if the hero was okay or not and he waited for him to open his eyes. He didn't even notice the torches lit back up and his eyes turned sorrowful red. The burning sensation left his hands, just a ghost of it lingered as he winced and couldn't close his fists without hissing. Muttering curses under his breath, he glared at his hands and flickers of magic wrapped around them. 

Trying to heal them and bit by bit while glancing back at the hero. Slowly but surely healing until all that was left were reminders and aching as he moved his hands with less struggle than before.

Regret pooled in his stomach and he frowned at the realization of what happened. Specifically, what he's feeling.

That.. that scared him. He knew exactly what emotions he had and it scared him.

Attachment. Attachment to him, to them.

This wasn't the plan. The plan was going to end with him dying, yet sitting here with the hero clearly on death's doorstep made it clear that he wasn't ready to see that day come.

_ They fought _ and he  _ knows _ they will continue fighting and that  _ bothered _ him. 

Shadow sighed as his eyebrows connected, the very realization felt bittersweet to him and so very stupid.  _ They're  _ enemies, destined to  _ always _ fight. Yet he can't deny the joy he felt at getting to bicker and banter without a filter with him. He can't deny the genuine glee he hid behind every snarky remark and tease, the genuine euphoria at hearing that the hero liked him. He can't deny the bitter sorrow when they argued, he can't deny how he felt  _ bad _ for his comments. 

He didn't even know how guilty he felt until one of the wizzrobes mentioned finding him passed out in the library and took him back to his cell. Not when he felt regretful for being  _ harsh _ with his words. 

But even though it's been a few days with them awkwardly talking and how he could tell the other would forget for a moment what happened before tensing up and shutting up again as if he genuinely  _ thought  _ he should stay quiet and that made him feel  _ weird _ . He couldn't tell what exactly he felt but it was  _ bad _ and he wanted to just stab it. The worst thing is he could  _ tell _ the other was trying to  _ hide _ the fact he was still bothered by it, like he tried to act like nothing happened but for a brief moment he would hesitate. He could  _ tell _ . The weight of not only being frustrated and jealous and angry with the hero but also feeling guilty by seeing the obvious struggles.

He wanted to scoff, it was stupid. He's stupid. He wanted to laugh, he did  _ not _ expect to be one of those stupid 'characters' he read about that switched sides because they got attached. It was  _ stupid _ . They're  _ enemies _ yet here he was wasting his time on someone who clearly hates his guts. He..

He didn't plan on getting attached. He was still an enemy. Still an enemy that he enjoyed to bicker and annoy.

Enemy, an enemy. Every rational logical thought screamed to him that they're opposing sides. That's  _ it _ . That's  _ all _ it ever was.

Yet the very realization in the end they will die, that  _ he _ will die, was the truth he purposefully avoided acknowledging.

He didn't  _ want _ him to die. Hell, he never really  _ wanted _ them to die. He didn't even have the  _ choice _ . He  _ had _ to fight them. All he wanted was to prove himself, to be acknowledged and respected.

To be treated with actual respect and someone to look back at him. Not down,  _ back _ . To see him as an equal or so.

It sucked because he  _ knew _ the heroes' attitude towards them, their enemies, won't change. Especially after  _ everything _ he did. He  _ knows _ they will kill him.

He took deep breaths, he never really needed this yet here he was trying to stabilize his breathing while panicking at the realization.

Just because he helped him, offered to give him shade, mentioned his concerns and  _ respected _ him does  _ not _ mean he actually likes him.

Blue was very straightforward with it. He  _ knows _ that. He knows the hero values his duty over these silly childish things and so did Shadow! So did he! He knows his role and what his destiny is!

Yet here he was getting attached knowingly. Willingly. He is well aware of how wrong this is and knows very well if he didn't get it together and remember that in the end one of them won't make it. If he didn't get it together, he fears maybe it would be  _ him _ that will perish. He acknowledged the chance of being killed but what scared him is the internal  _ willingness _ to do it. That they would  _ willingly _ kill him.

Then hesitance came into the equation that is his life. Is it worth it? To sacrifice it all for him? It confused him. Vaati didn't respect him and he knows fully well about Ganon's thoughts on him.

Who do you think was the source of his frustration of being looked at like he's just a tool that will be discarded? He knows every foe that faced the heroes. He learned about them. He  _ knows _ . He knows how disappointed his king is in his minions and rose time and time again to prove his worth. Excelled in everything just to prove it. And.. he's terrified if that will be the same fate he will face. As every tragic hero of his that fell in the hands of  _ their _ heroes. The same heroes he is getting attached to.

He didn't want to act foolish, to follow his whirlpool of emotions that continued to crash and overlap. He didn't want to hope too much.

The idea of the hero being his friend would have made him laugh earlier but right now all it did was make him feel warmth he didn't ever experience, a warmth that was different than the anger driven one and he's  _ addicted _ to it. He  _ needs _ more of it.

That scared him. All of this scared him. He didn't want him to die, yet the fear that the hero will backstab him was evident. It was clear, he could see it in every logical outcome, and the very realization that in the end  _ he _ will die scares him.

He feared it. But he could tell it wasn't death he was scared of. It wasn't that. It wasn't his fear of light that scared him.

No it wasn't that that scared him. It was the logic of it, the rational fact he tried to look away from. The fact the hero will end him despite everything. That when he reunites with the heroes would lead to them killing him. That he will go back and stab him after everything made his breath hitch. 

That he is willing to stall for him when in reality the other wouldn't do the—

"Ugh.."

Shadow blinked rapidly, rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and looked down, he didn't even realize how white his knuckles turned and how they were claws that dug into his knees until he brought one to wipe his face and focused on the hero that took in every breath with too much struggle and kept tugging his collar. 

"Dear God wait—" he grabbed his wrists and the hero froze, still heaving and struggling to breathe, unable to talk as he stared up like a deer caught in headlights. Eyes wide and ears bent down as he took in each breath through his mouth and continued to get shaky.

"Calm down, it's just me." Shadow mumbled and with lingering resistance the hero let go of his collar and Shadow helped unbutton it, as soon as he did Blue tugged and tried to take a deep breath that choked him and it turned into a coughing fit.

He helped pull the hero into a sitting position, his shoulders shook as he tried to bite back another cough that slipped out the shadow patted his back this time. 

"I—" 

He tried to speak but took in a sharp breath and he looked close to passing out once more. "I died- I actually died oh my fucking—" his breathing grew unsteady and he choked and coughed again. 

"Hey, hey. Look at me,  _ look _ at me." he tried, he never really knew how to handle these things. His hands on the hero's shaking shoulders and they stayed firm when the hero flinched away.

"You're not dead. It's  _ okay _ . You're alive, okay?" he tried to reassure, awkwardness clear in his tone. His attempts to comfort fell but the hero couldn't  _ hear _ him, as if he was too preoccupied muttering over and over and covering his ears.

"I  _ died _ and- Oh God." Shadow could hear the obvious fear in his voice, he could see the same desperation he saw almost a month ago. "It felt- I mean I did die but like—" his comment was cut off and he tensed up when two arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him.

His eyes widened and he could feel the lingering hesitation from the fingers ghostly behind his head that quickly died when his hand rested against his head.

"You're alive. Okay..?" 

His voice was barely above a whisper yet stern, matter-of-factly, as if he wouldn't accept any criticism and that  _ reassured _ him. A little. He wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure the hero or himself, probably both. Shadow felt embarrassment and shame twist in him,  _ if _ the poe was still here and watched them he would  _ never _ hear the end of it from Vaati. He doesn't have an excuse, what will he say? He was supporting, hugging,  _ comforting _ the very person he was supposed to kill. This would bring shame to his name and everything he stood for.

Although. One major thing most people overlook with him is that he never really did what  _ others _ told him to do. He plays by his own rules and changes them as he pleases. He's a valuable asset, his power and wits are immeasurable, but that doesn't mean he is a mindless tool that follows orders and orders only. 

He patted his head over and over, waiting for the hero to calm down as he whispered 'You're okay' and 'You're alive' over and over to him until he wasn't shaking.

"Mm.." Blue frowned as he rested his forehead against the other's shoulder, looking down and trying to take in a few breaths.

He  _ rarely _ panics but  _ that _ ..  _ that..?  _ He was okay at  _ first _ , it felt painful for a moment. A brief pain that to him felt neverending when in reality it was a mere moment. He doesn't  _ know _ what happened. All he saw were sharp.. claws? Heading towards him too quickly and before he could protect himself, he felt them inside his chest? Head? Both. Then the pain paralyzing that followed it. Was he bleeding? Was he  _ still _ bleeding? 

He rested his hand over his chest, it wasn't wet yet It felt too real. Is he okay? He could still breathe so that's one thing. It wasn't  _ that _ that scared him. 

Don't get him wrong, death is terrifying. Dying without accomplishing the one thing he strived for is unfortunate, tragic. No.. it was right after it. He wasn't there yet he was, he couldn't touch, feel, see, or  _ anything  _ yet he could feel pressure around him, that made his panic unravel as he felt out of control, detached, and unable to do  _ anything _ about it.

This felt  _ nothing _ like last time. Last time he was unaware, asleep around ice, it was uncomfortable but he didn't have to be aware of it.  _ This  _ time though.. he felt everything but in an echo kind of way, like it was there but not really and that made his mind? Self conscious? freak out and jump between real or unreal. He didn't even  _ know _ if it was just his mind tricking him but  _ still _ he could sense everything yet nothing at once and he didn't know whether to trust himself or not. He didn't even have a  _ say _ in it and with each timeless moment that passed in this soul-crushing experience, his senses would weaken and grow uncertain. That  _ scared _ him. 

"You're okay."

He blinked as he heard the shadow, then he tensed up when he backed away from the hug and Blue frowned but didn't bother to cling as his hands rested on his lap. He did appreciate that he stayed until he had some control over his breathing and wasn't as lost in that spiral of thoughts that only served to cause him to panic.

"I.. I promise you're going to be okay." Shadow tried again, repeating the same phrases over and over, growing more and more affirmative than awkwardness each time he did. "I'll make sure of it, alright? I promise."

"I.." Blue fell quiet and he frowned then sighed as he nodded. He didn't say much after that, just quiet silence with echoes of creatures scurrying around. 

"You—" Shadow's ears perked up and he looked back up at the hero, noting how his ears bent downwards and the fearfulness behind that nervous smile. "You don't have to.. I mean."

Shadow's flatline mouth curved upward, into a half smile. 

"I'm  _ fine _ . I don't need help." Blue mumbled, trying to regain his pride, and Shadow let out a sigh then grinned. Blue wanted to groan over that, expecting a smart remark. "Stop that. I mean it. I don't."

"Well too bad." Shadow stuck out his tongue, "You don't have a say in that."

“Ughhh.. but it’s my choice to reject your help!” he grumbled, pouting a little. Shadow bit his lip, an attempt to try to hold back his laugh, then a few snickers slipped out then he let out a full-blown laugh that had no malice, for once the shadow wasn’t laughing at him instead it had something else. Blue’s pout fell as he heard it, mouth turning into a small ‘o’ as he pinpointed it, the genuine relief in his laugh.

“Well you never were the best at decisions.”

“Wh?! No? I’m so good at them! It’s just life likes saying no to me.” Blue argued as he looked back and grabbed his hat, adjusting it as he wondered when it fell.

He cackled in amusement over the hero’s stubbornness before sighing, “God, never change.” Shadow pushed himself off the floor. Blue paused then glared at him as he yelled way too loudly. 

"What's that supposed to mean?!" 

"Whatever you want it to mean~! Come on. We don't have all day." Shadow hummed and stretched a hand out to him that he awkwardly tried to rest on his hips when the hero refused to grab it and stubbornly stood up.  _ Definitely  _ embarrassing him, but the little fact the hero was trying to childishly prove himself made it way better to emotionally handle. 

Although he noticed one detail, the hero was slower. Much slower. Usually, he would be right in front of him, trying to keep a quicker pace that Shadow used to compete against before getting lazy and allowing him to lead away. This time he was slower.

"You uh.. you good?"

Blue's ears perked up at that and Shadow noticed how stiff, tense, he was. "Obviously." he wasn't. Shadow could tell he wasn't. 

"Are you sure?"

" _ Yes _ ."

Liar.

"I'm  _ definitely  _ fine." he noticed him avoiding his gaze, Shadow rolled his eyes at the act. If this was weeks ago, he would have teased the bloody hell out of him, he would have made fun of him.  _ Now _ , though? All he did was sigh.

Liar. The hero was never a good liar. He was horrible at it and his struggle was obvious, Shadow could tell if he stayed spitefully walking he will only cause  _ more _ problems for both of them. 

"Are you  _ sure _ ." He asked again, he could see the pain he tried to hide away. He hid it better this time, because, instead of pain, the subtle hints of irritation in his clenched jaw and furrowed eyebrows that connected, his stubborn refusal of backing down hid his pain. 

"I'm  _ fine _ ." Blue hissed as he whipped his head towards him, turning to face him and jabbed him.

"I told you  _ multiple _ times I don't need your help. I don't need any—" the shadow didn't bother to pay attention, he already memorized the hero's 'Need No Help' speech and his blood started to boil once more and the poking only pushed his frustrations. Without a word, Shadow grabbed the hand that was poking him and glared at the surprised hero.

"Listen you piece of shit, if you want to stay here with the damn poes and oversized insects, be my guest." Blue blinked, not providing any comment as the shadow continued to rant. "But if you wanna get out, you will swallow that damn pride of yours." he hissed, a brief glint in his eyes before he closed them and let out an exhausted sigh as he let go of the hero's hand.

"God damn." 

That was all the hero said, the shadow rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms and eyed him down. It made the hero uncomfortable with the attention and felt like he was caught breaking some nonexistent rule.

"Now," Shadow rubbed his temples, "Tell me.  _ Where are you hurting _ . And don't you  _ dare _ lie to me _. _ " he watched the hero shift and bite his lip, hesitant to answer. The silence that followed as he waited for him to tell him only served to make the other even more anxious. He could see him hesitate answering and his mouth slamming shut, it would have frustrated him at the start.

Not this time though, not with the fact he almost died and how it  _ technically  _ is both of their faults.  _ But if he said no, if he stayed firm and left, if— _ it still made him feel guilty enough to avoid expressing his anger as he tried to calm down and acknowledge how difficult this was for a hero that barely admitted he needed help.

"Er.. if you can't tell me then.." Shadow paused, trying to think of a solution to help the ever growing anxiety filled hero. "Point! Point where it hurts." Shadow quickly suggested and Blue frowned before sighing and slowly gesturing to his chest, specifically the side his heart resides in, then pointed to his head and stomach. Then he stopped.

"That's all..?" Shadow blinked and Blue let out a groan and slowly gestured all over, head to toe. "Don't really feel them–" he admitted quietly, "Not that it hurts but it feels weird and uh.. uncomfortable— wait that's weird–" he rambled, Shadow let his head drop into his hands, exhausted and needing to scream over how the hero was forcing himself to walk even though he was in  _ that _ much pain. The hero's continued endless ramble was a background noise as guilt and worry overlapped and rested on the shadow's shoulders. Without a word, he grabbed the other's wrist and pulled it over his shoulders.

"You helped me, now you will get my help. Got it?" he said instantly just so the other doesn't get the chance to argue. Blue frowned before nodding slowly as the other helped him, this time actually allowing himself to lean on the other. The little gesture made the shadow scoff and mutter "Dumbass." under his breath, he did yelp when he felt a pinch on his shoulder and shot the hero an icy glare.

"Can't you just teleport us." Blue muttered as he relied on his support, Shadow let out a sigh and shook his head. "Obviously not. If I can, I would."

Blue frowned then, whipped his head to the side and squinted his eyes. Then whispered quietly "Need the mirror tired or..?"

Red eyes widened a little and he  _ almost _ smiled at the fact the other instantly asked if he needed help despite being the one that almost died. He wanted to  _ laugh _ over the detail that the other still remembered what helps him. 

"What? No no." Shadow laughed and Blue's little 'Oh ok, nevermind' fueled it. "I can't cause we would be leaving behind  _ her _ ." he nodded towards it, Blue's ears perked up at the sound of flapping wings. The winged creature stretching and standing tall, towering over them and only grew bigger the closer they got. Until they were right in front of it and its head was pressed against Shadow's palm then rested on the floor so they could walk up, definitely struggling and his nails dug into the other's tunic, definitely hearing the shadow snort and trying to excuse his struggle with exhaustion.

Shadow rolled his eyes at him but he was mostly glad the ride back was more bearable.. a little in a sense, bearable as in 'not as awkward' as the ride to the temple. Both trips were quiet enough to allow him to zone out but..

The going trip was a bit more… tense? The hero was more awkward and hesitant to talk, Shadow didn't bother trying to entertain him or take any pity towards the other's struggle to be more comfortable. He was still bitter over the last few days, the fact he went out of his way to avoid talking to him despite living in the same tower. Either way it served to only frustrate the dark worldly prince.

The  _ leaving _ trip on the other hand.. it was  _ much _ worse physically, mentally, and obviously emotionally to both of them. To the hero, it was more of the first two. He was sore all over and even sitting down with a wince and discomfort. He was  _ way _ quieter this time, no longer trying to spark a conversation, Shadow saw how he would tense up when their shoulders brushed and quickly try to hide the fact he got spooked.  _ Shadow _ though.. his was more emotionally, the very realization he didn't really  _ want _ him to die and the fear that struck his core at seeing him on the floor close to death was something he wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for. The hero's stubborn stupidity and tendency to get caught in some disaster will be the death of him, he's sure of it.

It  _ did _ shed some light on the actual reason he was frustrated after their fight, he didn't realize that he actually  _ missed _ talking to him normally. While yes he is still frustrated and has his jealousy issues, he didn't actually  _ want _ him to die. Hypocritical, he mentally called himself that for claiming he didn't care if the hero left or died yet the moment he saw him on the floor all of that bitter pettiness was thrown out the window. He  _ did _ get attached and it made it all the more difficult for him as the poe's words echoed in the back of his mind, reminding him he had to tell Vaati. 

But for now.. as the tower came into view and the dragon soared high before diving down to the very mountain makeshift landing area they used for it, for now he will ignore it.

Shadow stood up and floated down from the dragon, one of the wizzrobes were quick to greet him while the other pet the dragon. He noticed both glancing at each other with confusion and raised an eyebrow until he saw the hero's frustrated stubbornness as he tried to get up.

With a sigh he instructed them to go prepare one of the guest rooms and flew back to the hero. "You good?"

"I'm  _ fine _ ." He lied through his teeth but Shadow could see his clenched jaw and struggle to push himself off. Before he could point it out, the hero let out an exhausted sigh. "Ugh.. just didn't realize how weird it feels."

" _ What _ feels weird." Shadow raised an eyebrow and Blue bit his lip then sighed as he tried to swallowing his pride and admitted in a quiet voice filled with shame. "The.. um, the poe– it.. ugh I feel weird after being pulled out and uh.. things feel.. different? A bit more..?? Yeah." 

He could tell the other wanted to say it was difficult to move, especially since he technically got his soul ripped out and knowing how stubborn the hero is, he knows he kept trying to cling to his body. He  _ knows _ it got pulled out with much more force and he  _ knows _ he stayed away and out of control for longer than he wanted. He  _ knows _ his soreness came from not only being exhausted spiritually but because it was back to back after his own duel, he  _ knows _ the hero is more tired than he let on and that.. that worried him.

Shadow couldn't afford to show it, show  _ how _ much he worried over the other. It would make things awkward to  _ say _ it out loud, they both understood how difficult it is for both of them to be anything but petty witty argumentative individuals.

With a sigh, he got back on the dragon and crouched down next to the hero, who raised an eyebrow at him. It amused him over how things changed yet they haven't, the first time he did this he was mostly bitter and only for his own sake. This time, he did it out of genuine  _ kindness _ and guilt. It did take the hero a moment to process what the other was trying to do until it clicked a little too late and he squirmed and tried to push his face away.

"Don't you fuckin dare—" Blue hissed, trying to sound threatening and failing as his voice cracked in the end. "Yeah sure, then I'll leave you alone here. By the way, Nebby views hylian as food. Are you okay with that..?" Shadow pointed out and when the hero didn't answer, he clicked his tongue and lifted the hero up, one arm under his legs and the other supported his back.

"I'm never living this down." Blue muttered, Shadow snickered. "Why? It's not the first time."

"Not the– excuse me  _ no _ . I don't remember that!" he argued, still squirming but the moment the other jumped off the dragon and floated to the ground below, all of his pride fell as he clung and stared at the approaching floor. "I swear if you drop me.." he whispered darkly and Shadow rolled his eyes.

"I'm  _ not _ gonna drop you."

"You will, I know you will." Blue claimed as he glared at him and yelped when he felt like he was being dropped, clinging and glaring while the prince laughed out loud. "SEE I TOLD YOU—" 

"I'm not  _ going _ to actually drop you.. though, now I  _ spitefully  _ don't want to." Shadow informed him and Blue let out an offended gasp as they reached the floor.

"So you  _ were _ ."

"No, I didn't want to in the first place." Shadow shot him a toothy smile, "Though if you keep pestering me, I  _ will _ do it. Do not test me." he admitted and Blue opened his mouth then stayed quiet, muttering curses under his breath.

"I can  _ walk _ ."

"No you can't, you won't until we know exactly why everything feels weird." he said with a commanding tone and Blue let out a long whine.

"But I  _ can _ ."

"I swear to God, if you don't can it and  _ accept  _ it I will actually throw you back to that temple." he hissed. "N.. no. On second thought, I am  _ lazy _ so, do carry on.." Blue tried to excuse as he crossed his arms. He didn't argue any more after that, just quiet sarcastic comments he whispered to himself that made the shadow roll his eyes and snort.

Blue's ears perked up as he walked through the hallway, already memorized the route, before the little noise took his attention away.

"Pfft."

"What." Blue snapped as he raised an eyebrow at the shadow, who shrugged but grinned as he pointed out the thing he noticed.

"Didn't expect you to listen to me." Shadow admitted and Blue blinked then scoffed, instantly trying to deny it as expected.

"I'm just  _ tired _ ." he excused and Shadow ignored how contradicting it is that he was admitting now he was tired but earlier claimed he could still walk.

"Dang you Hylians are really that hypocritical? Damn."

Blue's eye twitched at that, he shot the prince a glare and muttered a "Shut up, dumbass." 

"Make me." 

Shadow grinned before his smile fell as the hero placed a hand over his mouth. "There, I did." Blue grinned and the prince rolled his eyes, then everyone within radius heard a shriek.

the hero's face paled and stared with disgust and sorrow at his hand while the prince had a blep.

"Did.. Did you just lick me?!" Blue gagged, close to passing out from disgust, and when the prince grinned proudly the hero shuddered and wiped his hand against the other's tunic. "You disgust me."

"Right back at ya, Blondie." He hummed but didn't get an answer, instead he noticed the hero's eyes dart around then squint. Then he had a look of confusion mixed with skepticism that made the shadow already assume the hero will argue again. "What now."

"Put me down this instant!" Blue hissed and started to squirm and push the prince a way. "You ain't taking me to no secondary location! I ain't an idiot!" he shrieked and Shadow would have ignored him and continued if it weren't for the fact he yanked his hair.

"Clearly you are! Stop freaking out or I'll drop you out this window!" he hissed back and Blue shrieked "My cell is right that hallway! Not wherever you're going you piece of shit!"

Shadow blinked at that and he wished his hand was free so he could rub his temples as he yelled. "Oh my fuckin- Blue, I'm going to one of the bedrooms!" He huffed but the hero ignored him and continued to argue with him. 

"The hell you mean?! I know you're lying, oh I swear I'm gonna— Mmf?!"

Blue tensed up as he placed a hand over his mouth and noticed there was nothing there yet he couldn't open his mouth and speak. His hand rested on his mouth then he shot the shadow a bewildered expression that only reminded him of a puppy.

" _ Quiet _ . You literally can't even  _ walk _ and almost died." Shadow huffed and even if he wanted to argue, Blue crossed his arms and he could tell the other wanted to repeat what he said in a high-pitched mocking voice. "I'm just taking you to one of the bedrooms so you can  _ heal _ ." he explained and the confusion on the hero's face almost made him laugh, the furrowed eyebrows and wide bewildered blue eyes that darted down then back at the prince then back down as he tried to process what he just said.

"What? I may be a villain, but I have standards, ya know." Shadow said, barely hiding his amusement and laughed when the hero barely reacted and stayed staring. "Now will you calm down..?" the hero slowly nodded and Shadow sighed as he let go of the magic and the black outline sparkled white before disappearing and the foreign force that kept his mouth shut left him. Blue shuddered as he rubbed his jaw and glared at the prince, who dismissed it and sighed.

"God.." Shadow muttered, "Do you  _ always _ fight over every little thing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, it wasn't snarky. He wasn't poking fun and that confused him. The undeniable softness in his tone, lighthearted tone followed with an amused half-smile that he wanted to rub away and he  _ did _ . It fell not because the hero muttered something under his breath but how he noticed the hero tense up in his arms and avoid his gaze.

"Shut up." he muttered and Shadow blinked, noting the hero no longer struggled and stayed put while still avoiding his gaze.

Maybe he should have bit his tongue, maybe what he said was lighthearted to him but sensitive to the other. Come to think of it, the last time they fought was specifically  _ because _ of that very thing, that he fought with anything and everything, But he didn't realize it became  _ that _ sensitive.

"So what helps you guys to uh.. get better?" he asked, trying to spark some conversation so he doesn't drown in guilt that continued to grow each time he glanced down to the hero. He could feel the other turn stiff before answering to him.

"Healing potions, fairies, I'd say a damn professional but I guess I don't get the luxury of having that." he could definitely hear some salt in the last statement and considering the guy was in a not so furnished cell,  _ was _ tied up for a majority of his time,  _ and _ was referred to their prisoner. Shadow couldn't really argue but did feel guilty at that, he  _ liked _ him and wanted to be his friend yet he is still an enemy to their world.

He didn't really get the chance to  _ try _ arguing, not when they both stopped in front of a door with a wizzrobe that held the door open for them then closed it behind them. Shadow let out a sigh but his ear twitched and he glared at the door before muttering to himself something Blue did not understand. He didn't care that much either, not when he caught sight of the bed and got giddy over the fact he would actually sleep properly. 

"Look tomorrow I'll probably get some on the way back." he hummed as he helped the hero on the bed, giving him space as he pulled his boots off and dropped one, Blue paused as he slowly took the other boot off and glanced to the shadow, He raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Back?"

"Yeah.. I have to go see Lord Vaati." Shadow sighed as he sat on the bed and he noticed the hero deflate a little and nod slowly and how his little quiet "Oh.." had both concern and disappointment tied in it while he kept his hands busy fiddling with his belt.

"But it's fine. Just usual villain business hah!" Shadow reassured with a long exhausted sigh as he fell, his back onto the bed as it bounced a little from the sudden pressure, and cackled when the hero yelled at him to take off his dirty shoes and to get off just so he could tug the blanket free.

"On the way though.. get me clothes since mine are literally torn up." Blue gestured to the obvious mess of clothes that are his, Shadow opened his mouth before sighing and nodding.

"I'll  _ try _ . How dare you turn me, royalty, into some  _ errand _ boy." Shadow sighed and Blue blinked twice slowly as he stared at him before muttering.

"You're weird." Blue grumbled as he pulled it over him and Shadow rolled his eyes at him. "So are you, but you don't see me complaining." he watched the hero struggle with his tunic and sighed as he sat up and helped pull it over his head. The hero did glare and eye him head to toe with a scowl.

"Stop that." he said, still scowling. "Stop trying to help or whatever."

"I hope you know I'm being nice to you. I can just pick you up and drop you with the bokoblins." Shadow reminded and Blue stuck out his tongue in retaliation then continued to fold his clothes and set them aside before pulling the blanket over himself.

"You wouldn't." he stated in a matter-of-factly tone in the comforts of the soft fabric and Shadow grinned. "You wanna bet?"

Blue paused then pouted as he mumbled, "Nah.. too exhausted." he avoided looking at him, as if expecting the other to tease or make fun of. But he didn't. Not this time.

Instead the other nodded and jumped off the bed, he did notice the hero's eyes trained on him and he raised his arms in surrender as he backed to the door. "Anyway I gotta deal with a few things, gotta update Fred so he doesn't freak out for example.." Shadow grinned and Blue nodded slowly. He did stop by the door when he heard the other say something he barely caught, turning back to face him with a 'hm?' 

"You'll uh.." Blue paused as he fiddled with the blanket, struggling with his words as he slouched. "You'll be back right..?" he asked as he struggled through his pride.

He tensed up then whipped his head to the side and scoffed "Not like I  _ want _ you to but like– since you're going to that chef and uh wanted food and yeah." he tried to excuse.

"I will, don't worry." Shadow said, equally as awkward and shy. "Okay I'll go now!" he announced and actually left this time.

He did hear a "Yeah okay bye!!!" from the hero and let out a sigh as his grin fell and he looked at his hands, the burning from earlier still faintly there and served to remind him of how opposite they are. Clenching and unclenching them then rushing to the mirror.

* * *

If anything, the loneliness only fueled his anxiety and that anxiety turned to anger that he tried to contain. He did  _ not _ need to jump to conclusions with an angry mind.

His arms and legs were still stiff, moving them a little made him wince. He did note that his joints and body as a whole started to ache way more than earlier. The part that actually genuinely hurt was his left side, around his chest and his head. He frowned as he unbuttoned it a little just to catch a glimpse and grimaced, there wasn't any scar there. Not a single hint yet it felt so  _ real _ . He  _ knows _ what he saw and what he felt. He thinks?

The lack of visible evidence made him question his senses again and when he heard the door click he quickly fiddled with the buttons and quietly cursed both the situation and his senses.

"Sorry for being late, I had to take care of a thing." Shadow chirped, voice way too upbeat for the late hour. It almost sounded fake. Blue didn't bother to answer, just a nod and kept his eyes on the prince and the tray that followed him.

"So I got uh.. this? It's healing potion we sto– I mean.. haha.." Shadow grinned nervously at the hero's raised eyebrow. "We  _ bought _ .. uh.. yeah." he grabbed it off the tray and shoved it onto his hands. 

"Also uh- we got food..? Fred wanted to bring it but I told him  _ no _ cause you uh might be asleep and didn't wanna wake you– not cause I  _ care _ or anything." he didn't stop rambling as the hero hesitantly sniffed then took a sip of the potion, then chugged it and placed it on the tray on the nightstand. He frowned when the prince held out a napkin before he accepted it awkwardly and patted his mouth from some of the potion that trailed down his face.

That didn't stop the way too much attention the other had on him and Blue narrowed his eyes. "Stop that, it's not like I'm dying." he stated ironically.

Shadow blinked then nodded then paused.. and he whispered quietly. "Stop.. what..?" a nervous grin on his face and Blue rolled his eyes.

"Stop staring! I told you!"

"Oooh yeah cause you're shy." Shadow added and Blue let out a groan and grumbled quietly as he ate the pieces of fruit they brought. He did notice the prince's hat end twisting and almost tying into knots and tilted his head at that.

"Dear God,  _ why _ did you even suggest going to that place? Or even better, why do it?" Shadow sighed and Blue paused.

"I er.." Blue gritted his teeth, pulling the blanket over himself as he flopped on the side. Muttering quietly that the prince couldn't understand. "I guess I just.. maybe wanted to make it up to you.."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, mostly grateful the other's back is towards him so how he can smile without worrying the other catches him.

"Really..?"

They both caught onto the softness in his voice, Shadow tried to cover it up with a cough and Blue stayed quiet then sighed.

"..Yes.." 

"I guess I.." Blue took a deep breath, "I guess I didn't feel.. good?"

" _ Oh? _ " 

"Oh, don't take joy from this." Blue hissed as he sat up with a glare and a pout. "I didn't feel good cause I felt like I owe you. That's it. Nothing more than that. Got it?" 

Shadow nodded but still grinned at him and he nodded as well and said "Good." before falling back onto the side and pulling the blanket.

"So uh.. you better..?"

Shadow asked after giving him a few moments to regain his composure, no need to poke and get a rise out of him. He fell on his back onto the bed with his hands under his head as he stared up, waiting for him and eventually he did.

"...Other than I feel like I'm not in control, yeah better sure." Shadow sighed at his sarcastic tone and nodded, Blue bit his lip then spoke with genuine honesty. "Seriously though I um- I feel better. Thank you." 

He perked up at that and nodded a bunch of times. "You need anything else– I mean I did say we got food but like if there's–"

"Why the sudden kindness..?" Blue raised an eyebrow and Shadow paused and frowned as the hero continued a little more quietly. "I thought you were uh.. Mad or something.." 

"Huh..?" 

Blue let out a groan as he pulled his legs to himself, resting his chin on his knees while the blanket was wrapped around him, frowning as looked away. "Cause of.. you know."

"Oh- yeah I was." Shadow admitted and he noticed the hero tense up, sadness clear in those eyes. It confused him why the hero would be so upset, it's not like his opinion  _ mattered _ before.

"Was.. so in other words, you aren't anymore?" 

"I.. I guess I'm not." Shadow frowned and they stayed quiet, both processing the events of today and a small twitch of a smile and the prince let out a little snort followed by a short laugh that made the hero tense up and eye him with uncertainty and wariness. He could tell the other was worried that the laughter was  _ at _ him.

"I can't  _ believe _ you." Shadow grinned and Blue blinked and stared with confusion, his eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head a little. "You did  _ all _ of that because you couldn't handle me being upset with you?" 

"I- er- shut up!!" Blue yelled and the shadow cackled, more lively than the short innocent filled laugh he had earlier.

"Blue, you  _ died _ . You literally  _ died _ trying to make things better." Shadow let out an exhausted sigh, he did notice the hero tense up and he  _ knows _ he shouldn't bring it up. That it was  _ too _ soon.

"Can.. we not bring that up." Blue muttered and Shadow frowned and nodded. "Okay but.." he didn't hide his grin but he did try to hide the sheepishness from his voice as he quotes the hero. 

"If you need to talk about it, then.. I'm okay with lending an ear?" Shadow said with a toothy grin, while he did say the line smoothly with some hints of softness he refused to acknowledge. He did  _ not _ take notice of the obvious tints of pink shyness on his face. The  _ hero, _ however, did take note and cursed internally over it. When did they get  _ this _ soft- scratch that when did the shadow get soft? He was  _ always _ annoying and got on his nerves. When did  _ he _ get soft? The hero  _ always _ had his patience run thin when it came with the shadow. 

"I.. don't actually." Blue tried to answer and Shadow  _ almost _ pressed further, almost insisted that the hero  _ could _ talk. "I'd rather something else..? If that makes sense?" 

"So a distraction..?" Shadow raised an eyebrow and Blue frowned then nodded.

"I guess? It's not that I  _ can't _ I'm just.. a little annoyed that I lost to a  _ ghost _ .. I think." Blue huffed, definitely bluffing to save face. Shadow didn't press but jumped off the bed. 

"Then excuse me, I got the  _ perfect _ distraction." 

Blue frowned but before he could argue, the shadow vanished into a puddle that ceased to exist and reappeared in seconds with a cardboard box, tattered and slowly falling apart. He could tell it will rip if handled carelessly.

"What's this..?"

"Back at the castle, with his  _ majesty _ ." Shadow made sure to add some mocking formality that made Blue bite back his amused laugh. "He did  _ not _ let me do  _ a thing  _ that wasn't 'productive' or whatever. So anything 'fun' is just off limits. But God Bless Fred." Shadow grinned as he held the box over his head with a wide grin. 

"That bastard snuck  _ legendary  _ stories." his excitement was easy to notice as he unboxed and rummaged through the books. "Hero, have you ever heard of  _ comic books? _ " 

Blue tilted his head and shook his head and Shadow let out a scoff and grinned smugly. "You've been missing out."

"I don't like books though."

"Well these are different."

"How..?"

Shadow smirked as he picked up a book with colorful cover. "These have pictures.  _ Lots _ of them."

"But we won't be reading if you're  _ that  _ worried hah!" he grinned and held the book to the hero, he couldn't understand what was written anyway it wasn't in hylian so he was a little relieved to know that they  _ won't _ read.

"What are we gonna do then..?" Blue asked as he flipped over the pages with wide eyes, mostly bewildered over the characters and their design. Their big eyes and colors, the fact they had colors that were so  _ expensive _ to make. Maybe it was easier in the dark world to get these colors? Who knows.

"Glad you asked! We will be guessing them."

"Guessing..?"

"I'll show you a picture and you will say  _ what _ you think they're like and I'll then tell you if you're close or not." Shadow grinned and Blue frowned then shrugged, his lack of refusal made the prince giddy as he held the book in front of him.

"So what vibe do you get from this guy?"

Blue frowned then looked up at the prince, the anticipation in his eyes and curiosity almost made him nervous for being wrong.

"Well.. he's blue so," Blue grinned as he answered joking, "he's definitely the main character." he didn't expect the other to nod in approval and frowned at that.

"Huh?"

"You're right. So this is Sonic, he's a great guy honestly. Bit too cocky and all but he's neat." Shadow shrugged and Blue opened then closed his mouth before pointing at the blue hedgehog on the cover.

"Me." Blue stated and Shadow gasped and swatted his hand and held the comic close to himself. "No, he's me." he argued and Blue frowned.

"No? He's confident and blue and main character, that's  _ me _ ."

"No, if anything you're like.. Amy or Knuckles. You're too dumb for Tails though." he hugged the comic and looked away from him. Blue blinked then whacked him in the head.

"Ow! Why?!" Shadow hissed and Blue stuck out his tongue.

"You're telling me I'm.. characters I don't even know!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow before deadpanning. "Angry and has a hammer, that's Amy. Strong and is  _ very  _ attached to his duty and kinda needs to loosen up a little, that's Knuckles." Shadow stated and Blue opened his mouth then grumbled under his breath.

"So no, you're not Sonic."

"But  _ I _ wanna be Sonic.. there's got to be another character for you." Blue tried to argue and Shadow hummed.

"Well.. there's Jet, Manic, Sonia, Blaze, um.. Silver! Silver is neat.. there's also Rouge, she's  _ iconic _ . Oh and Shadow and Eggman-"

"Wait hold up, back up." Blue cut off, "What was that? The last one..?"

"Uh.. Eggman..? Can't believe the egghead caught your att—"

"No!" Blue hissed as he squinted his eyes, "You said Shadow. There's a character called  _ Shadow _ ."

"Oh? Yeah he exists, a bit too edgy for me." Shadow shrugged and Blue stared at him with exhaustion and almost wanted to break the fourth wall just to ask the audience if they're seeing this.

"So let me get this.. I get to be Amy or Knuckles, but  _ you _ don't get to be the guy who has the same name as you?" 

"Uh.. yup, pretty much yeah."

Blue's eye twitched as he yelled a long string of curses that made the guards outside flinch while the prince barely reacted as he stared at him with bored half-lidded eyes.

"Why  _ not _ ." Blue finally asked after verbalizing his frustration and calmed down.

"Cause I'm not Shadow, he's.. a bit too.." Shadow perked up then pointed towards Blue, "like you!" he determined and Blue  _ almost _ screeched again.

"He's a hero that had a rough start and shit. Like you!" Shadow determined and reached a hand out. "And he's Sonic's rival like you."

"Did you seriously just assign yourself main character and said I'm just a damn rival?" Blue deadpanned and Shadow nodded with a 'pretty much.'

"Blue, be my rival." he grinned and Blue shook his head and stuck out his tongue, Shadow frowned at that. "This is so rude. Be Amy then."

"I don't even  _ have _ a hammer anymore!"

"... eh we'll get you one, it's okay."

Blue let out a groan, then paused and asked with a sigh. ".. what does Amy look like." Blue squinted his eyes then frowned as the shadow showed him, moments of silence followed as Blue stared with wide eyes and tilted his head as he considered it.

".. She's actually a badass hold on." Blue paused as he flipped through every scene and skipped pages that didn't have her in it. "Damn."

"Knuckles is cool too, this is him."

"I like his pointy gloves thing.." Blue stated ironically and Shadow almost laughed as he nodded. "Mhm!!!" he grinned, excitement slipping through and he started to ramble before pausing.

"And— wait can I talk about them..?" Shadow raised an eyebrow as Blue continued to flip over the pages before looking up and nodding. 

"I'm curious and I want to know if I could dethrone you on being Sonic."

Shadow's face broke into a huge smile as he grabbed and let out  _ every _ single fact he memorized and every little idea he speculated for them. He did rummage through the box and pulled out a few charms of characters Blue still didn't see in the comic in his hand and figured he would see them later.

He did lose track of time, but it didn't really matter as he rambled the hero's ear off to the ideas and random theories at some point he did summon a board with red yarn tied to points he already pinned and started to explain every single theory he ever had while Blue struggled to follow along but threw his own what ifs. (They did settle the who is who argument though and said every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday Blue gets to be Sonic and every other day Shadow gets to be Sonic. Saturday they will play rock-paper-scissors to decide.)

They didn't  _ realize  _ they talked for hours over these things, Blue did flip the pages and tried to guess what was happening and Shadow just settled on putting his things back into the box.

Shadow's ears twitched and he looked over to the hero who passed the book back to him, he still noticed how stiff the other's movements were and how he did try to hide how tired he was, it almost made him feel bad for not giving him time to rest. He didn't get to dwell in these guilty 'oopsie' feelings though, because his ear twitched and he heard the hero mutter something under his breath.

"Hm..?"

Blue sighed and crossed his arms. "Thanks for.. uh.. yeah." 

"Oh, uh.." Shadow glanced down at the books then up at him before shrugging and grinning. "I mean I did get to talk about my interest. So it is a win for me." he hummed and Blue rolled his eyes.

"So.. we good..?"

"Hm.." Shadow frowned then sighed as he looked at the hero with a look that could only be described with bitterness.

"I.. dunno.. honestly I'm confused over what will happen.." Shadow let out a laugh before frowning and his eyebrows furrowed. His question caught the hero off guard and Blue had an equal look of despair, the same reaction as he acknowledged reality.

"Oh.. right.." Blue paused, then let out a sigh. "One of us will lose huh.."

"I.. think." uncertainty clear in his voice as the inevitable ran through his mind as if he watched the whole thing unfold from an outside perspective.

They will die, Hyrule will fall, he will kill the hero before him, Ganon will rule over this land and Vaati might take over the dark world. 

The middle part is what kept repeating in his mind, the part that's "he will kill the hero" kept echoing and repeating like a broken record and the memories of today and the bitter realization he didn't  _ want _ him to die made him freeze.

Then panicked what ifs sprung up as he wondered if he could keep  _ him _ alive, to convince Ganon that he shouldn't kill him. Although knowing this hero. This so stubborn hero. He knows that's unlikely and he  _ knows _ that he will be way more resentful at being the only one spared.

Then the seeds of doubt finally blossomed as he finally asked himself a question he hesitated answering. Did he  _ want _ to work under their leadership? He adores his world and has loyalty to it, but Ganon..? Vaati..? His loyalty to them faltered, he  _ always _ did have lingering thoughts of disappointment towards them.

He never really thought they  _ deserved _ power. If anything, he didn't even  _ like _ being their pawn. Although, he knew very well if he voiced it out he will get killed for even showing a  _ hint _ of uncertainty. He didn't argue before, the enemy of my enemy is my friend and Hyrule was his enemy.

Then he got attached. Attached to the world he was destined to destroy.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, yet all he could see is that he might have mixed it up. This world  _ could _ not be  _ his _ enemy, this world could have the  _ same enemy as him _ . 

If anything he adores the dark world but hated the dictatorship of his king. If anything even the  _ king _ wasn't loyal to his subjects, the plan was he was going to take over Hyrule and leave behind the dark world.

So why does he have to stay loyal to a king that wasn't loyal to his own subjects..?

His hand ached, the memory of the burning barely there yet still caused him to almost flinch.

This world.. this land.. the  _ light _ .. it  _ burns _ .  _ He _ burnt it too. He  _ damaged _ it.  _ Hurt _ it. 

Blue stiffened as he noticed magic wrap around before the box and every distraction the prince brought disappeared and the prince sat in front of him with obvious uncertainty.

"This.. might sound crazy but.." Shadow paused as he looked over to the hero, obvious uncertainty and his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm still.. annoyed? Jealous, maybe? Not as much as before but I'm still mad at you." he noticed the hero tense up and he felt it too. He was scared too.

"But I—"

don't want  _ you _ to die. He wanted to say it yet he couldn't verbalize it, he couldn't say it out loud.

He paused then let out a sigh and his voice grew way quieter that even Blue had to shuffle a little closer to hear him. 

"I don't..." he whispered carefully and Blue knew exactly who he referred to. "Blue, can I ask you one small request..?"

Blue raised an eyebrow and Shadow almost ran away from what he was about to ask. He  _ knows _ it could backfire on him. He  _ knows _ this.

"Hero, can I ask for.. your help..?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Yes, Vera is a pun over Aloe Vera. If you caught that, I'm proud of you sjdjd  
> 2\. Bambi, Pear, the sonic bit was your fault /lh
> 
> Important Note: Next week probably WON'T have an update because I will be having a lot of midterms & exams. I didn't get the chance to finish the upcoming chapter as I planned but I didn't want to leave you guys in the dark sO UH YEAH SORRY FELLAS- I did try to make this chapter long to make up for it ahaha... oops?

**Author's Note:**

> Ngl this is also an exercise for me to actually write bad people being bad and having them slowly change cause I do be struggling with a LOT of things that show up in this fic. So I'm using this joke as a learning experience for myself lol /hj


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